The FAA on Thursday ordered inspections of hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX jets after receiving reports of cracks in older-generation aircraft.
In a now-finalized airworthiness directive, the agency said operators must inspect the fuselage skin and bear straps of the 737 MAX 8, MAX 9, and MAX 200, also referred to by Boeing as the 737-8200. Bear straps are metal sheets that help reinforce fuselage structures such as doorways and emergency exits.
Cracks in those components, the directive states, could lead to the “inability of the principal structural element to sustain limit loads” and “adversely affect the structural integrity of the airplane.”
“The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on in-service airplanes,” the agency wrote. “The required compliance times for the initial inspection and on-condition repetitive inspections and repair were established to ensure any crack is detected and repaired before the crack reaches critical length with multiple opportunities for detection.”
The order goes into effect Sept. 10. An estimated 471 aircraft will be affected.
According to the FAA, cracks were found in the bear strap at the forward upper corner of the forward galley door cutout on the older 737 Next Gen. No cracks have been found so far on any 737 MAX variants, but because the two generations have a similar design, the MAX could be susceptible to the same issue, investigators said.
Boeing said in a statement that it informed operators of the 737 Next Gen of the cracking problem in 2019 and extended inspections to the 737 MAX in 2024 because the types share a “similar design and build process.”
The 737 MAX has faced intense scrutiny in the past, most notably after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. The type was grounded for months and was allowed to reenter service only after regulators imposed new safety requirements on Boeing.
Earlier this week, the FAA certified the 737 MAX 7, the smallest MAX variant.
