**: Chopping wood nets.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Thursday that it was calling on aircraft maker Boeing (BA.).US) conducted a special inspection of its 737 MAX family of aircraft to identify and resolve possible bolt loosening issues in the rudder control system. Following the announcement, Boeing's stock price fell 14%, and then the decline narrowed to **067%**
The FAA said it is closely monitoring the inspection of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and will consider additional measures based on further findings such as loose or missing hardware.
Before Boeing recommended these inspections, an international operator was doing routine maintenance of a rudder control linkage and found a bolt with a missing nut. Boeing has since found a nut that had not been properly tightened in an aircraft that had not yet been delivered.
In response, Boeing said that it had repaired the problematic aircraft. But out of an abundance of caution, they recommend that operators inspect their 737 MAX aircraft and report any safety issues. The company has notified the FAA and its customers and will continue to keep them informed of progress.
Boeing is recommending that airlines complete a full inspection of the MAX family of aircraft within two weeks. Still, the company said the 737 MAX aircraft delivered are still safe to fly and production and deliveries of the MAX family of aircraft will continue.
United Airlines (UAL.)US) said it does not expect any impact on its operations from these inspections. MAX's other two largest customers, Southwest Airlines (LUVUS) and American Airlines (AALUS) has not yet responded to this matter.
United Airlines also said Boeing has asked operators of new single-aisle aircraft to check specific levers that control rudder movement for possible hardware loosening.
Performing an inspection requires removing a cover plate and confirming that the hardware is properly installed. This process takes about two hours. Boeing is conducting a full inspection of all undelivered 737 MAX aircraft before delivering them to customers.
Boeing noted that any problems related to abnormal rudder function are likely to be detected during pre-flight inspections, as the crew routinely checks the rudder system before the aircraft takes off.
Anthony Brickhouse, an aviation safety expert at Embry-Riddle University of Aeronautics, said the inspections would help the FAA determine the prevalence of the problem and whether it indicated a larger problem with Boeing's production quality that required further action from regulators.
In 2018 and 2019, two fatal accidents involving the Boeing 737 MAX in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people, severely impacting public trust in Boeing. The aircraft was subsequently grounded worldwide for 20 months. Currently, Boeing is still awaiting certification for the smaller 737 MAX 7 and the larger MAX 10.
*: Zhitong Finance APP].