Boeing Recommends New Tests For Cracks On 737S

[LaoPo]

Breaking News Alert

The New York Times

Mon, April 04, 2011 -- 4:28 PM ET

April 4, 2011

Boeing Recommends New Tests for Cracks on 737s

By CHRISTINE HAUSER

Southwest Airlines said on Monday that it found subsurface cracks in three aircraft during inspections that were conducted after a five-foot hole ripped through the roof of a 737-300 jetliner on Friday, and the maker of the plane, the Boeing Company, said the inspections should be extended to additional models by all airlines.

As a result of the Boeing statement, the Federal Aviation Administration was expected to issue an order for the tests to be carried out, industry analysts and lobbyists said.

Boeing said in a statement on Monday, that based on information from the National Transportation Safety Board and Southwest's inspections, it was preparing a service bulletin that would recommend "lap-joint" inspections on certain 737-300's as well as the 737-400 and 737-500 models.

Continue reading:

http://www.nytimes.c...4iP1swx001hNayw

LaoPo

[bubba]

The federal government announced Monday that Alaska or any other airline using older Boeing 737 aircraft, (Series 300, 400 and 500) must conduct electromagnetic inspections of those aircraft to detect cracks in the fuselage like one that opened a five-foot gash in the Southwest Boeing 737-300 plane last Friday.

The entire Nok Air fleet is comprised of old 737-400s, and TG has a few as well. Wonder if they will be conducting the US FAA required structural checks?

[LaoPo]

The federal government announced Monday that Alaska or any other airline using older Boeing 737 aircraft, (Series 300, 400 and 500) must conduct electromagnetic inspections of those aircraft to detect cracks in the fuselage like one that opened a five-foot gash in the Southwest Boeing 737-300 plane last Friday.

The entire Nok Air fleet is comprised of old 737-400s, and TG has a few as well. Wonder if they will be conducting the US FAA required structural checks?

".......the Boeing Company, said the inspections should be extended to additional models by all airlines."

From: OP article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/business/05air.html?_r=2&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1301950898-8zYPvXT4iP1swx001hNayw

Doesn't that answer your question?

But, let's hope they do so.

LaoPo

[bubba]

The federal government announced Monday that Alaska or any other airline using older Boeing 737 aircraft, (Series 300, 400 and 500) must conduct electromagnetic inspections of those aircraft to detect cracks in the fuselage like one that opened a five-foot gash in the Southwest Boeing 737-300 plane last Friday.

The entire Nok Air fleet is comprised of old 737-400s, and TG has a few as well. Wonder if they will be conducting the US FAA required structural checks?

".......the Boeing Company, said the inspections should be extended to additional models by all airlines."

From: OP article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/business/05air.html?_r=2&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1301950898-8zYPvXT4iP1swx001hNayw

Doesn't that answer your question?

But, let's hope they do so.

LaoPo

Actually, no it doesn't answer the question. Boeing said the inspections "should be extended" and FAA is a US regulatory agency and their requirements do not require Thai aircraft to comply. I've not been able to find any comments from Nok Air or Thai Airways regarding whether they will voluntarily comply with the inspection requirement. Note also that their 737-400 aircraft are used for short flights with many flight cycles, so that would put them into the higher risk category for structural failures.

[LaoPo]

The federal government announced Monday that Alaska or any other airline using older Boeing 737 aircraft, (Series 300, 400 and 500) must conduct electromagnetic inspections of those aircraft to detect cracks in the fuselage like one that opened a five-foot gash in the Southwest Boeing 737-300 plane last Friday.

The entire Nok Air fleet is comprised of old 737-400s, and TG has a few as well. Wonder if they will be conducting the US FAA required structural checks?

".......the Boeing Company, said the inspections should be extended to additional models by all airlines."

From: OP article: http://www.nytimes.c...4iP1swx001hNayw

Doesn't that answer your question?

But, let's hope they do so.

LaoPo

Actually, no it doesn't answer the question. Boeing said the inspections "should be extended" and FAA is a US regulatory agency and their requirements do not require Thai aircraft to comply. I've not been able to find any comments from Nok Air or Thai Airways regarding whether they will voluntarily comply with the inspection requirement. Note also that their 737-400 aircraft are used for short flights with many flight cycles, so that would put them into the higher risk category for structural failures.

OK: but wouldn't Boeing automatically inform ALL worldwide airline companies with 737's after a hole was blown in the roof of a 737 ?; at least for those 737's built in the same period and with the same -more or less- mileage ?

Knowing this, I wouldn't feel too comfortable, flying any 737 now, whereever in the world.

After all, we read on an almost daily basis that car builders from Europe, US and Japan are calling cars back into their garages for repair because of some faults, discovered AFTER deliveries.

But aircraft builders don't ?

LaoPo

EDIT:

"The F.A.A. announcement applies to 175 aircraft worldwide, including 80 that are based in the United States."

From:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/business/05air.html?_r=3&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1301950898-8zYPvXT4iP1swx001hNayw

LaoPo

[bubba]

OK: but wouldn't Boeing automatically inform ALL worldwide airline companies with 737's after a hole was blown in the roof of a 737 ?; at least for those 737's built in the same period and with the same -more or less- mileage ?

Knowing this, I wouldn't feel too comfortable, flying any 737 now, whereever in the world.

After all, we read on an almost daily basis that car builders from Europe, US and Japan are calling cars back into their garages for repair because of some faults, discovered AFTER deliveries.

But aircraft builders don't ?

Boeing most certainly did send the suggestion for an inspection to all operators of the affected 737 models. But the question is: will those operators, such as Nok Air and TG actually pull their aircraft from service and perform the inspection? If the US FAA has issued what's called an Airworthiness Directive, then US registered aircraft must perform the inspection, but that wouldn't pertain to Thai registered aircraft.

That said, I wouldn't get too worried about flying on a 737 right now. There are literally thousands of 737 flights every day all over the world. There has been exactly one failure this year due to the stress issue. Also, you did say "any 737", and it should be noted that this issue does NOT affect the new generation 737s (737-600 and up). And all things considered, the 737 remains one of the safest aircraft flying based on overall accident rates. The new generation 737s had the best safety record of any commercial airliner through 2009:

http://www.boeing.com/news/techissues/pdf/statsum.pdf

I'd be more concerned about flying on TGs A300s, which have more than three times the hull loss accident rate of the 737-300/400/500s.

Interestingly, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has not issued a mandatory airworthiness directive for the 737 issue.

http://ad.easa.europa.eu/