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Boeing Recommends 737 MAX Inspections Over Rudder Control Bolt Concerns, FAA Monitoring

Submitted about a year ago

In a recent development, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has disclosed that Boeing is advising airlines to conduct inspections on newer 737 MAX aircraft due to concerns about a potential loose bolt in the rudder control system. (www.airguide.info) More...

33 member comments

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Larry Toler about a year ago 17

It's a potential issue and it's caught early. Someone is doing their job. It could have been a real issue if it was the cause of a fatal accident.

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Larry Toler about a year ago 21

Any aircraft with a potentially bad part or faulty installation. I'm not singling any aircraft out. Yes, we all know the MAX gets bad press. I'm praising someone actually doing their job and catching something that could have gotten out of hand. I'm neither a Boeing or Airbus fanboy. I just like aircraft and as long as I can safely fly from point A to point B in any aircraft, I'm happy.

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btweston about a year ago -8

Thanks dad

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Lewis Tripp about a year ago 2

Anything off the ground, yoyo.

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btweston about a year ago -4

‘Merica

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lynx318 about a year ago 1

They're saying a nut could have killed someone, I'm sure you can relate to that. ;)

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cknigh36 about a year ago 10

Being in Aviation manufacturing QA and an A&P, I agree this is a common SB. also I agree with "If you are going to boycott every airliner with SBs & ADs, you are going to be grounded. " GET A GRIP. Having Inspected, fixed and manufactured aircraft this is a concern but not overly special.

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Charles Henry about a year ago 9

If people only knew what an AD was and how many of them are out there.... LOL

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bentwing60 about a year ago 1

The dedicated IA folks know and have to wade through a forest of logbooks for older aircraft still in commercial use to confirm the method of compliance! SB's same/same and P/N, S/N can be tough to verify in boxes of old yellow tags and since removed parts.

Oddly enough, MX logs have been known to lie. Sorta like some of the folks that make the logbook entries.

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Dean Brossman about a year ago 16

An Service Bulletin inspection is a way that Boeing can look into a possible problem. It is just good business practice especially as it relates to aircraft safety. I am always surprised at the people that jump at anything to "dis" Boeing and the 737. Do they not know that there are dozens of ADs issued against Airbus aircraft each week? As a person that works in the industry, I subscribe to get every AD issued against heavy (Over 12,000 lbs) aircraft.

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Tim Dyck about a year ago 4

The purpose service bulletins is to identify problems found and fix them if they exist on other planes. Without them we would all be flying in accidents waiting to happen. In this case one aircraft was found with a defect, other aircraft were looked at and a second one was found and corrected. The article doesn’t say if any others were found after that but we should be happy that the process worked by identifying a potential problem and ensuring the same problem does not affect the safety of other planes. This SB does not mean the Max isn’t safe, every aircraft manufacturer uses SBs to keep aircraft safe.

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victorbravo77 about a year ago 4

Pretty concerning.

Thanks for an informative, ad-free article.

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Alan Winn about a year ago 7

you welcome, and yes it is concerning, the Max seems to have an endless series of issues.. its design was rushed to compete with the A320neo series.

Happy new year!

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victorbravo77 about a year ago 3

The new type certificate for the max has been missing from all this for too long.

Thank you, and the same to you and yours!!

vb77

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Danny Montgomery about a year ago 1

I wonder if the second loose bolt was in the same location as the first?

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Harry Schluderberg about a year ago 1

C’mon people it’s righty tighty lefty loosy.

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Tim Dyck about a year ago 7

Unless it’s left hand thread. Then there are the one time use bolts that get tossed if you have to take them out, you may righty tightly them but only to a specified torque and if you ever touch them again you replace them completely. The bottom line, let those who are trained to work on aircraft maintain them according to the procedures the manufacturer has provided and if there is a service bulletin out they will follow it.

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Ken Coffman about a year ago 3

Tim. Great response from an informed source. It's much more than righty tighty, lefty loosy.

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lakemountain about a year ago -1

Given the engineering and quality issues of the MAX, it should be doubly important for an independent organisation to determine whether there are more systemic issues.

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Philippe MARIN MURACCIOLE about a year ago -1

Boeing, quién te ve y quién te ha visto...!

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lynx318 about a year ago 0

I see the Boeing basher bozos are had at it already *sigh*.(◔_◔)

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Duane Mader about a year ago 20

I’m an A&P IA. This sounds like a very common Service Bulletin. If you are going to boycott every airliner with SBs & ADs, you are going to be grounded.

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Gary Kendall about a year ago 6

I hate to tell you, but it ain't just the Max. From what I've been reading the past few years, I don't want to fly anything. So you know, I'm a licensed pilot since 1965.

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Ken Coffman about a year ago 1

Please provide your sources of information of "what you've been reading".

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Gary Kendall about a year ago 5

No, I'm not special. But neither am I some uninformed public person off the street making comments.

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lynx318 about a year ago 1

Pretty sure mickey's comment was a reply to Lutz

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Vaughn Blue Jr about a year ago -6

Is inspections all Boeing is going to do? How about firing the person(s) especially quality control people?

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JMARTINSON about a year ago 4

We have known for a very long time now that fear is not a good motivator in general, and is a particularly bad motivator if the end goal is public safety.

Be willfully ignorant if you must, but please stop recruiting others to join you.

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Ken Coffman about a year ago 1

How did you determine it is more than a possible problem? A Service Bulletin inspection is a way that Boeing can look into a POSSIBLE problem.

How did you determine it was a quality control issue ("especially quality control people")? It could be something that passed quality control inspection in accordance with the design specifications, but the issue was due to some other reason (design specification issue, repair procedure issue, other?).

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