U.S. FAA requiring inspections for cracks on some 737 NG planes

[deicer]

By the numbers, it's working out to 5% of all inspected aircraft have cracks.

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2019/10/10/at-least-38-boeing-737s-grounded-for-wing-related-cracks-company-says.html

At least 38 Boeing 737s grounded for wing-related cracks, company says

 

By Michael LarisThe Washington Post

Thu., Oct. 10, 2019timer2 min. read

More than three dozen Boeing 737s have been grounded worldwide after wing-related cracks were discovered during recent inspections, the company said Thursday.

That number includes a small number of U.S. planes, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Southwest reported that it had found two cases of the cracks among its planes with the highest number of uses, which an urgent FAA order on Oct. 3 required to be inspected within seven days.

Boeing last month notified the FAA that cracks had been discovered in a critical structural component of Next-Generation 737s that helps attach the wings and the body of the planes. The problem “could adversely affect the structural integrity of the airplane and result in loss of control of the airplane,” the FAA said.

 

Boeing said its customers have completed 810 inspections so far, finding 38 cases that will “require repair and replacement of the affected parts.”

“Our technical team is working to determine the most efficient repair plan for customers that ensures the safety, quality and integrity of the airplane. We are investigating the root cause of the issue,” Boeing said in a statement.

Boeing said the cracking does not affect any of its 737 Max aircraft, which remain grounded after investigators said a flawed automated anti-stall system contributed to two deadly crashes within five months.

 

The FAA is working with Boeing and international aviation safety regulators “to better understand the factors that led to the formation of the cracks” in the 737 NG jets, the safety agency said. “The FAA will continue to monitor the situation and will consider additional action as necessary.”

 

Southwest said “we did not find abnormalities on the vast majority of our inspected fleet.” The grounded aircraft “will remain out of our schedule until the issues have been fully resolved,” the company said, and its technicians are “now focused on completing inspections of the remaining portion of the 737 NG fleet covered by the” FAA order.

Internationally, Brazilian low-cost airline GOL said it had grounded 11 planes after discovering cracks. It said it “deeply regrets any inconvenience” caused to customers who had to be booked on other flights.

Boeing said safety and quality are its top priorities.

“Boeing regrets the impact this issue is having on our 737NG customers worldwide,” the company said.

The FAA inspection order is based on how many “cycles” a plane has experienced, meaning how many times it has gone through pressurization and depressurization. The FAA order had longer inspection deadlines for planes with fewer cycles.

We haven’t started formal inspections, because they’re not required” immediately on the planes they have, American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said.

United said its aircraft “will be inspected within the required time frame.”

[Guest]

Qantas grounds Boeing 737 plane due to 'cracking'

• 31 October 2019

• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50244699

Australian airline Qantas has grounded one of its Boeing 737 NG planes after discovering "cracking" in one section.

The carrier said several airlines were inspecting their 737 NG fleets after Boeing revealed an area near the wing may be prone to cracking.

News agency AFP reported up to 50 planes globally had been grounded due to the issue.

Qantas said: "Even when a crack is present, it does not immediately compromise the safety of the aircraft.

"We would never operate an aircraft unless it was completely safe to do so."

Boeing said cracks had been found in the "pickle fork" - a section of the plane which helps attach the wing.

Last month, US regulators ordered checks of all 737 NG planes which had undertaken more than 30,000 flights.

Qantas said none of its 737 NG fleet had been flown more than 30,000 times. It added the plane with a crack had made fewer than 27,000 journeys.

Boeing under pressure

The issue comes after Boeing was forced to ground its newer 737 Max model in March, following two fatal crashes.

Those tragedies - in Indonesia last October, and in Ethiopia in March - killed a total of 346 people.

• US lawmakers accuse Boeing of building 'flying coffins'

On Wednesday, Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg told US lawmakers the firm had made mistakes in relation to the 737 Max fleet. Legislators had accused Boeing of rushing the approval process.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

 

Media captionBoeing CEO Steve Muilenburg is grilled by US lawmakers

The 737 NG is a precursor to the 737 Max.

Qantas said it would inspect 33 planes in its fleet for the same issue by Friday. It did not respond to a report that a crack had been found in a second plane.

The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association, an aviation union, called for Qantas to ground its entire 737 NG fleet - a call rejected by the airline as "alarmist".

US carrier Southwest Airlines recently discovered a crack in one of its 737 NG planes.

[Guest]

FAA expands Boeing 737NG crack inspections

• 13 November, 2019
• SOURCE: Cirium Dashboard
• BY: Tom Risen
• Washington DC

The US Federal Aviation Administration has mandated that airlines with Boeing 737NG aircraft that have completed a high rate of flight cycles must re-inspect hardware known as "pickle forks" that connect a wing to a fuselage.

Boeing notified the FAA that one operator found a crack outside of the original section of the fuselage the FAA had mandated for inspection in October.

Today, the FAA published an airworthiness directive requiring that 737NGs that have completed 30,000 flight cycles be re-inspected within 60 days, expanding the initial search area for cracks from two fasteners to eight fasteners on each side of the aircraft. Carriers must inspect 737NGs that have completed 22,600 flight cycles within their next 1,000 flight cycles. The order impacts US-registered 737NGs, including -600, -700, -800 and -900 series aircraft.

The additional inspections are underway, Boeing says in a statement.

"We regret the impact to our customers and have a repair plan in place to address any findings," Boeing states. "Less than 5% of the 1,200 airplanes that have undergone the initial inspection were found to have the cracking issue. The secondary issue has been discovered on three in-service airplanes and one airplane that was undergoing maintenance in preparation for a modification."

Replacing pickle forks can be costly also because aircraft interiors must be stripped out, including side panels and fixtures.

The FAA ordered the original inspections on 2 October after Boeing discovered cracks on pickle fork hardware of 737-800s undergoing passenger-to-freighter conversions in China.

Airlines impacted include Qantas, Ryanair, Southwest Airlines, Gol, and Indonesian carriers Sriwijaya Air and Garuda.