((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
(FAA interview added, hearing scheduled for Tuesday, and more information available) by David Shepardson
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday that two U.S. airlines have inspected and returned nearly 94 percent of Boeing BA.N 737 MAX 9 aircraft to service following an in-flight emergency last month. last.
The FAA lifted the grounding of MAX 9 planes on January 24 after halting flights following the explosion of a cabin panel on an Alaska Airlines ALK.N plane on January 5. The FAA said 78 of United Airlines UAL.O’s 79 MAX 9 planes were inspected and returned to service, and 57 of Alaska’s 65 MAX 9 planes.
Alaska said inspections of all planes except the plane involved in the emergency will be completed by Tuesday.
Inspections required by the FAA include careful examination of certain bolts, guide rails and fittings, as well as detailed visual inspections of door plugs and dozens of associated components. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether bolts were missing on the plane that suffered the cabin panel explosion.
The grounding forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights in January.
FAA Deputy Administrator for Aviation Safety Jodi Baker told reporters Monday that the FAA is rethinking its oversight of Boeing. At Boeing’s 737 plant in Renton, the FAA “is conducting a nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip inspection. We anticipate that the results of this inspection will be the source of our new approach to surveillance,” she added.
She said the FAA may need more staff and will continue to conduct regular audits.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker is scheduled to testify before a U.S. House committee on Tuesday. Last week, lawmakers asked him whether the FAA was changing its on-site oversight of Boeing and its suppliers.
Mr. Baker responded that the FAA wanted to do “more oversight…”. It’s about being able to build relationships with employees to understand the challenges they face day in and day out, and to help us see if there are any systemic issues within the manufacturer
Last month, the FAA barred the struggling planemaker from increasing production of its best-selling 737 MAX due to “unacceptable” quality problems.
Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said last week that Boeing is “producing 737s at a rate of 38 per month and we will stay at that rate until the FAA and Boeing are satisfied with the quality of our process.” Manufacturing”
The FAA has not estimated the duration of this limitation.