Boeing Faces New Safety Risk Warnings After Installing 271 Potentially Defective Parts in 737

Over 40 foreign operators could be affected by the 271 impacted parts, but specific airlines were not identified.

By Thea Felicity

Oct 01 2024, 11:06 AM EDT

FRANCE-SPAIN-AIR-TRANSPORT-ENVIRONMENT — Airline pilot in command and head of Boeing 737 pilots at Transavia Simon Leblanc (L) and airline pilot Zoe Castelleta (R) fly a Boeing 737-800 aircraft during a flight from Paris to Seville, on September 6, 2024. BENOIT DUCROCQ/AFP via Getty Images

Months after pleading guilty to 737 Max crashes, Boeing found itself in another precarious waters.

In a report by Reuters, the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) warns that over 40 foreign operators may be using Boeing 737 aircraft equipped with potentially faulty rudder control components. A faulty rudder control component could result in a dangerous situation by causing the rudder, which helps steer and stabilize the plane, to get stuck or stop working correctly. Called a 'jammed rudder,' pilots will lose control of the aircraft's direction.

To mitigate possible risks, NTSB issued an urgent safety recommendation to get the attention of affected operators. No specific airlines that might've used potentially unsafe parts were revealed, but the agency noted about 271 impacted parts.

Boeing's Response to Faulty Rudder Control Components

The Washington Post shared that Boeing has already informed airlines operating 737 planes. The problem is that the company called the part 'rudder rollout guidance actuator,' which concerns NTSB since airlines might not know if their planes have this part.

The Reuters report showed that Ryanair reported no issues with the component mentioned by Boeing.

Turns out, besides the faulty door issues this year and the deadly 737 Max crashes, Boeing already had problems with rudder control parts since 2019, per The New York Times.

Although no civilian casualties were reported, NTSB criticized the FAA for not taking this issue seriously earlier. The agency raised concerns that flight crews, similar to 737 Max crashes, may not know how to handle a failure of the rudder control parts, especially since they are critical during takeoff and landing moments.

Currently, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is already aware of the situation and will be monitoring 737 closely. As for the FAA, further tests for Boeing planes will be issued this October.