The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring airlines to inspect landing gear on some Boeing 767 aircraft. An airworthiness directive was published Thursday and will go into effect on Feb. 12.
According to the directive, operators will be required to inspect Boeing 767-200, 767-300, and 767-300F jets. The order comes after a recent main gear collapse incident.
The collapse followed “maintenance where a grinder was operating outside of its input parameters, resulting in possible heat damage to the outer cylinder of the MLG,” the agency stated.
Heat damage could limit the landing gear’s ability to sustain various loads.
“The FAA is issuing this AD to address any heat damage to the outer cylinder of the landing gear, which could result in the inability of a principal structural element to sustain limit load, gear collapse resulting in loss of control of the airplane, and potential for off-runway excursion,” the agency continued in the directive.
Airlines will be required to inspect certain 767 landing gear outer cylinders for heat damage and replace them accordingly. Per Cirium Fleet Analyzer data, 570 U.S.-operated Boeing 767s are in service.
