The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered inspections of hundreds of Boeing 737 Max jets after cracks were discovered in a structural reinforcement near one of the aircraft’s doorways, warning that undetected damage could compromise the plane’s structural integrity.
The new airworthiness directive, issued on Thursday and taking effect on 10 September, applies to an estimated 471 US-registered Boeing 737 Max 8, Max 9 and Max 8-200 aircraft, and covers 1,429 planes worldwide, according to CBS News. The FAA said cracks had been found on some older-generation planes in a structural reinforcement, known as a bear strap, around the forward service door on the right side of the aircraft, next to the front galley.
Boeing 737 Max: What Exactly Did The FAA Find, And How Serious Is It?
The regulator’s order describes the risk in stark technical terms, stating, “The FAA is issuing this AD to address cracks in the fuselage skin and bear strap, which may lead to the inability of the principal structural element to sustain limit loads and adversely affect the structural integrity of the airplane,” according to emerging reports. Despite the warning, the FAA has not ordered the affected aircraft grounded, saying the mandated inspection intervals provide multiple opportunities to detect any cracking before it could threaten the plane’s safety, according to CNN.
So far, no cracks have actually been found on the Max models covered by the new directive, with the issue instead first identified on older “Next-Generation” 737 aircraft.
Boeing 737 Max: Why Are Max Jets Being Inspected For A Fault Found On Older Planes?
Boeing said the Max models share enough design and manufacturing similarities with the earlier Next-Generation aircraft to warrant the same precautionary checks. “This issue has not been observed on the 737 MAX fleet, but Boeing extended the inspections to 737 MAX airplanes as the model shares a similar design and build process,” the company said in a statement carried by CNN.
Boeing added that it had already flagged the underlying issue years earlier, telling The Hill it “has been working with operators on it over the past six years,” having first notified operators of the affected Next-Generation planes of the problem in 2019, with the FAA mandating inspections on those aircraft in 2021.
Boeing 737 Max: How Are Airlines Responding To The New Directive?
Major US carriers operating the affected jets said they were preparing to comply with the FAA’s timeline without disruption to their schedules. A Southwest Airlines spokesperson told CBS News the airline was “reviewing” the directive and would “accomplish the inspections on the affected airplanes according to the schedule specified by the FAA.”
United Airlines struck a similarly measured tone, with a spokesperson telling CBS News, “We don’t anticipate any impact to our operations in the near term and will accomplish the inspections during heavy maintenance visits.”
Boeing 737 Max: How Does This Fit Into Boeing’s Wider Safety Scrutiny?
The new directive adds to a lengthening list of safety and quality concerns that have dogged Boeing since a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet shortly after take-off in January 2024, prompting sustained regulatory scrutiny of the manufacturer’s production practices. It also follows a separate FAA proposal last month that would require inspection of seat assemblies on 453 Boeing 737 Max jets over concerns they may have been incorrectly installed.
With the new fuselage inspection requirement now finalised and due to take effect next month, airlines operating the affected aircraft are expected to begin working the checks into their existing maintenance schedules in the weeks ahead.
