In a continuing saga of scrutiny, the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is under the investigative lens once more following an incident involving a United Airlines flight where pilots encountered “stuck” rudder pedals during landing. On February 6, Flight 1539, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 en route from the Bahamas to Newark, New Jersey, experienced the anomaly during the landing rollout. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has since initiated a probe into the matter to ascertain the cause and implications of this malfunction.
According to the preliminary report from the NTSB, the captain managed to land the aircraft safely, utilizing the nosewheel steering tiller to maintain direction while decelerating to a taxi speed before exiting the runway. No injuries were reported among the crew or the 155 passengers on board. Post-incident, the aircraft was withdrawn from service for maintenance and troubleshooting efforts.
In a statement to NBC News, Boeing confirmed its close collaboration with United Airlines to diagnose and address the rudder response issue observed during two 737-8 flights in early February. They announced, “With coordination with United, the issue was successfully resolved with the replacement of three parts and the airplane returned to service last month.”
United Airlines assured ongoing collaboration with Boeing, the NTSB, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concerning the next steps for these aircraft. This February 6 rudder pedal incident marks the first reported case of its kind in the MAX 8, although similar issues have occurred in older models of the 737, suggesting a problem that may span multiple generations of the aircraft.
The FAA’s recent audit findings that unveiled “multiple” quality control issues at both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, which builds the fuselage for the 737 MAX. Boeing has been given 90 days to present a plan of action in response to these findings.
The NTSB has documented 19 incidents involving Boeing planes globally as of February 24 this year, compared to 23 during the same period in 2023, according to their Case Analysis and Reporting Online tool (CAROL).
Aviation experts, like Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s Anthony Brickhouse, stress the importance of public awareness while urging confidence in the industry’s regulatory and investigative processes. He stated, “I would be perfectly comfortable stepping on a flight this afternoon in spite of these recent events that have happened, but I understand how the general public thinks not knowing what I know.”
Relevant articles:
– Another Boeing 737 Max Investigated After Pedals Get ‘Stuck’ During Landing , Yahoo News Canada, 05/06/2024
– New Airworthiness Directive: United postpones B737 Max 9 acquisitions, Aviation.Direct, 05/06/2024
– No, Boeing Issues Aren’t Actually On The Rise This Year, NTSB Data Shows, Yahoo Movies UK, 05/04/2024