Investigation into serious problems with Boeing 737 aircraft, a possible worldwide problem

A part supplied by the American Collins Aerospace was not produced correctly, which could cause the tail rudder to lock up under certain conditions. This emerged from an investigation into an incident in February in which the control pedals of a United Airlines aircraft appeared to be stuck during landing. No one was injured in that incident, and the aircraft was not damaged.

Collins has notified Boeing that more than 353 parts delivered since February 2017 have the defect. They were placed on the tail of certain aircraft of the types 737 NG and 737 MAX. Boeing says it is working with its supplier on “additional guidelines” to address the problem. It already informed its customers about the issue in August.

Global problem?

According to the American aviation watchdog FAA, United Airlines is the only American airline affected by the defect, but it is not clear whether the problems also occur outside the United States. The NTSB has asked the aviation regulator to also inform foreign aviation watchdogs if the parts need to be removed.

Boeing was already in crisis mode after previous problems. Earlier this year, a Boeing 737 MAX lost a door panel. Since that incident, the American regulator has put a brake on production at Boeing. The company must first fine-tune its quality control. On top of that, there is a major strike by employees demanding higher wages.