Federal aviation regulators, worried about potentially dangerous cracks on Boeing Co. 737 jets, took action aimed at ratcheting up airline inspections of more than 1,600 of the widely used planes.
The Federal Aviation Administration indicated the moves were prompted by concerns that undetected fuselage or bulkhead cracks—potentially affecting all 737 versions—could result in hazardous rapid decompressions.
The FAA's call for extra fuselage checks was prompted partly by a high-profile July 2009 incident, when an aging Southwest Airlines Co. Boeing 737 carrying 126 passengers developed a one-foot-wide hole in its aluminum skin while flying to Baltimore from Nashville. The opening at the top of the fuselage caused the cabin to suddenly lose air pressure at around 30,000ft, oxygen masks deployed and the pilots made an emergency landing in Charleston, WV, without any injuries
Within months, the FAA ordered enhanced structural inspections of more than 130 similar older Boeing 737s.
Click here to view the entire article:
Latest from Aerospace Manufacturing and Design
- Archer to test Starlink onboard its Midnight air taxis
- System eliminates cage-creep in sliding bearings
- Bodo Möller Chemie signs worldwide supply contract with Airbus
- Sandvik Coromant's CoroTurn Plus turning adapter
- ZOLLER Technology Days & Smart Manufacturing Summit May 13-14, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Walter's TC620 Supreme multi-row thread mill family
- ThermOmegaTech achieves CMMC Level 2 C3PAO certification
- One-touch precision flex locators
