2LT International News

SAN FRANCISCO, California – The head of Boeing says the company expects to get clearance from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to resume use of the grounded 737 MAX aircraft by the end of this year.

The statement by Boeing’s Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg was made during an interview on CBS.

On Sunday a joint investigation by the regulator and the company found some of the 737 aircraft, including the grounded 737 MAX planes may have faulty parts on their wings.

This new issue affects 148 slat tracks produced by a Boeing supplier. The FAA said that a complete failure of a leading edge slat track would not bring down an aircraft, but could damage the plane in flight.

“Boeing has informed the FAA that certain 737NG and 737MAX leading edge slat tracks may have been improperly manufactured and may not meet all applicable regulatory requirements for strength and durability,” the FAA said in a statement released on Sunday.

“Following an investigation conducted by Boeing and the FAA Certificate Management Office (CMO), we have determined that up to 148 parts manufactured by a Boeing sub-tier supplier are affected. Boeing has identified groups of both 737NG and 737MAX airplane serial numbers on which these suspect parts may have been installed. 32 NG and 33 MAX are affected in the U.S. Affected worldwide fleet are 133 NG and 179 MAX aircraft.”

“The affected parts may be susceptible to premature failure or cracks resulting from the improper manufacturing process. Although a complete failure of a leading edge slat track would not result in the loss of the aircraft, a risk remains that a failed part could lead to aircraft damage in flight,” the FAA statement said.

“The FAA will issue an Airworthiness Directive to mandate Boeing’s service actions to identify and remove the discrepant parts from service. Operators of affected aircraft are required to perform this action within 10 days. The FAA today also alerted international civil aviation authorities of this condition and required actions.”

Sunday’s announcement of the finding has dismayed, and likely delayed, Boeing from getting its 737 MAX airborne again.

Muilenburg did not specify when Boeing would get clearance from the FAA but reiterated that the company has completed a software update for the flight control system.

Two plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethipia, both involving the new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft have caused the loss of hundreds of lives, and resulted in the grounding of the plane. 

Muilenburg said the company is working hard to regain the “damaged trust” the public has about the safety of its planes. 

(Photo credit: You Tube).