NTSB issues ‘urgent’ safety warning for some Boeing 737s, including 737 MAX
Sep 26, 2024, 4:44 PM
FILE - A Boeing 737 Max jet, piloted by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Steve Dickson, prepares to land at Boeing Field following a test flight on Sept. 30, 2020 in Seattle. On Sunday, July 7, 2024, the Justice Department said Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two deadly crashes of 737 Max jetliners. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
(CNN) —The National Transportation Safety Board is issuing “urgent safety recommendations” for some Boeing 737s—including the embattled 737 MAX line— warning that critical flight controls could jam.
The independent investigative agency is issuing the warning that an actuator attached to the rudder on some 737 NG and 737 MAX airplanes could fail. The move comes after the NTSB investigated a February incident where the pilots of a United Airlines MAX 8 landing in Newark reported their rudder pedals “stuck” in the neutral position.
The warning is the latest black eye for Boeing. The company has seen a string of ugly headlines this year, from a mid-air blowout of a door plug in January to a strike by 33,000 workers that started just this month.
“Boeing’s 737 flight manual instructs pilots confronted with a jammed or restricted rudder to ‘overpower the jammed or restricted system (using) maximum force, including a combined effort of both pilots,’” the NTSB said in a news release.
“The NTSB expressed concern that this amount of force applied during landing or rollout could result in a large input to the rudder pedals and a sudden, large, and undesired rudder deflection that could unintentionally cause loss of control or departure from a runway,” the statement said.
Boeing faces new safety alert over earlier generation of 737s
The NTSB is recommending that Boeing come up with an alternative solution and warn pilots about the issue.
In a statement, the FAA says it “monitoring the situation closely” and will “convene a corrective action review board based upon the NTSB’s interim recommendations and determine next steps” on Friday. CNN has reached out to Boeing for comment.
The FAA says United Airlines is the only US airline with 737s that use the components in question and that they are no longer being used.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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