At least 40 foreign air carriers may use Boeing 737 aircraft with rudder components that are security threat. This was stated by the head of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jennifer Homendi.
Xinhua News Agency reported.
“I remain concerned that the FAA as a whole did not take this issue more seriously until we released our report with strong safety recommendations, despite the risk of loss of control of the aircraft or departure from the runway due to the possible jamming or limitation of the operation of the steering control system due to the failure of some direct rudder actuators”, – said J. Homendy in a letter addressed to FAA Chairman Mike Whitaker.
J. Homendy said she was disappointed that in the six months since the NTSB's preliminary report on the Feb. 6 incident involving the Boeing plane, the FAA had not taken urgent action to address the risk of a jammed steering system.
She noted that the FAA is downplaying the urgency of the problem by saying that the faulty actuators are no longer in service.
“According to the information that the NTSB received from Boeing and provided to the FAA, this is not true,” she said.
On Sept. 26, the NTSB issued emergency safety advisories to Boeing and the FAA regarding the possible jamming or restriction of the operation of the steering system on some Boeing 737 aircraft.
As noted by the department, the NTSB is investigating the incident that occurred on February 6, when the rudder pedals of a Boeing 737-8 (MAX) of the United Airlines airline company “stuck” in the neutral position during the approach to landing at Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark, New Jersey, USA).
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000NTSB investigators tested the steering wheel drive – one of the steering control components from the above-mentioned aircraft – at the factory of Collins Aerospace, where this part was made. When testing this actuator and an identical one from another aircraft, conducted in cold conditions, it was found that the functions of these technical elements are significantly impaired.
As Collins Aerospace later determined, the sealed bearing was improperly assembled during actuator manufacturing, leaving the non-sealed side more susceptible to moisture, which could freeze and limit the movement of the steering system.
The August 23, 2024, Boeing announcement states that since February 2017, the company has received 353 faulty actuators.
Of these 353 devices, 73 were still installed on aircraft. Another 271 actuators may be installed on planes operated by at least 40 foreign air carriers, the NTSB said.
In addition to the 353 defective actuators that Collins provided to Boeing, another 75 such devices were sent directly to carriers for installation on airplanes after they were sold.
The NTSB expressed concern that airlines may not be aware of defective actuators on airplanes, that are operated by them, Boeing 737.
As J. Khomendi noted in her letter, it is necessary to solve the problem of aftermarket installation of faulty drives.
“It is unacceptable and unacceptable not to prove to operators full information about the installed systems and equipment on the aircraft it supplies,” – wrote J. Homendi M. Whitaker.
The FAA, for its part, issued a statement in which it said that it convened task force to address the problem and has sent notices to international airlines, and plans to conduct additional tests using simulators.
“We thank the NTSB for its recommendations and take them seriously,” – assured the FAA.