Could have ended disastrously
Boeing calms minds after missing tail rudder nut
February 9, 2024, 11:45 a.m
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Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has been struggling with technical problems with its 737 MAX series for years. A nut was recently missing from the stern rudder of a machine. “An isolated case,” as the manufacturer promises. There will still be ongoing tests in this area.
A missing nut on the tail rudder of a Boeing 737 MAX alarmed the aircraft manufacturer and the responsible authorities in December – but the problem turned out to be an isolated case. Since the end of last year, more than 1,400 machines in global operations have been inspected – and found to be in order, Boeing said. Only an inspection is still pending.
The US Federal Aviation Administration officially ordered inspections of the fastening part of 737 MAX aircraft. However, the Boeing announcement shows that this was ultimately a formal step. Machines that have already been tested do not need to be examined again. According to the FAA, Boeing also found an inadequately tightened nut on an aircraft on its production lines. The agency emphasized that the absence of the mother could affect the aircraft’s functionality under certain circumstances.
Quality controls and fasteners have been a major issue at Boeing since a nearly new 737-9 MAX tore out a fuselage section in flight in early January. The more than 170 people on board escaped with horror. By a lucky coincidence, the two seats directly next to the hole in the cabin wall remained empty.
According to safety experts, the accident could have had catastrophic consequences if the Alaska Airlines jet had already reached its full cruising altitude at the time. Then the decompression in the cabin after the escape would have been much greater, and the passengers and flight attendants might have walked around in the aisle instead of sitting strapped in their seats.
The US investigative agency NTSB came to the conclusion this week that four fastening bolts were missing from the fuselage fragment. That has become a new crisis for Boeing after its Airbus rival was in the midst of recovering from two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 and the coronavirus crisis that followed.