Airlines are being urged by Boeing to check its 737 Max aircraft for potential loose bolts in the rudder control systems.
The inspections were requested by the aircraft manufacturer when a foreign operator found a bolt that was missing a nut, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The rudder on an airplane is used to steer the craft while it is in flight.
“The issue identified on the particular airplane has been remedied,” stated Boeing.
As a precaution, we advise operators to inspect their 737 Max aircraft and notify us of any abnormalities. We updated our clients and the FAA on the development, and we will maintain doing so.”
The Federal Aviation Administration stated that it was “closely monitoring targeted inspections of Boeing 737 Max airplanes to look for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system” .
The checks only take roughly two hours, and Boeing has advised that they be completed within the next two weeks.
According to Boeing, personnel regularly inspect the rudder system prior to takeoff, so any issues regarding a malfunctioning rudder would probably be found during a pre-flight check.
According to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University air safety expert Anthony Brickhouse, airlines “need to take it seriously”.
He told the Reuters news agency, “But as a member of the flying public, I don’t see this as an issue to be concerned about.”
During noon trading, shares of Boeing fell by 1%.
In 2020, US regulators allowed Boeing’s 737 Max to begin passenger flights again after it had been grounded for 20 months globally following two devastating crashes that claimed 346 lives in Ethiopia and Indonesia.