Boeing is urging airlines to inspect 737 Max airplanes for a possible loose bolt. The company called for the inspections after an international operator discovered a bolt with a missing nut, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement posted on its website.
The FAA says it “is closely monitoring targeted inspections of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes to look for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.” Under consultation with the FAA “Boeing has issued a Multi-Operator Message (MOM), urging operators of newer single-aisle airplanes to inspect specific tie rods that control rudder movement for possible loose hardware.”
Boeing says the inspections will take about two hours per plane, and all new 737 Maxes will undergo the check before they’re delivered to customers.
The FAA says that it will consider additional action based on any further discovery of loose or missing hardware.
Boeing recommended the inspections after an international operator discovered a bolt with a missing nut while performing routine maintenance on a mechanism in the rudder-control linkage. The company discovered an additional undelivered aircraft with a nut that was not properly tightened.
While this is a minor issues, it is the latest in a long string of bad news for Boeing’s 737 Max. The aircraft was grounded worldwide for 20 months back in 2019 and 2020 after two catastrophic accidents killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
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