Report: Defective parts on thousands of Boeing planes need repairs
Nov 30, 2015, 10:26 AM | Updated: 11:55 am
The FAA is concerned that without an anti-corrosive finish a critical part on Boeing 737s could fail. (AP)
(AP)
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce mandatory inspections and the potential replacement of defective parts on nearly 1,400 Boeing 737s on Monday.
The Wall Street Journal reports the planes were manufactured in Renton without a protective finish on parts holding the horizontal stabilizer in place — part of the tail section that helps keep the plane level in flight.
The FAA is concerned that without the anti-corrosive finish the part could fail, causing catastrophic failures.
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The FAA isn’t ordering immediate fixes, meaning it believes the planes are safe to fly as long as the inspections happen quickly, the Journal reports. But CBS transportation safety analyst Mark Rosenker says if this part failed, it would likely lead to a crash.
The FAA is also expected to order similar mandatory inspections for 200 Brazilian-made airplanes for a defective valve issue in their engines, The Wall Street Journal reports. Boeing and the Brazilian manufacturer caught these issues themselves and self-reported to the FAA.
Boeing is now facing a lawsuit from passengers on a British Airways 777 that caught fire on take-off in Las Vegas, the Chicago Tribune reports. The left engine on the plane caught fire, sending smoke into the cabin. All 157 passengers and 13 crew members made it out of the plane safely.
The lawsuit claims a defective engine part that Boeing and engine-maker GE knew about caused the fire. Sixty-five passengers are involved in the lawsuit, but that number is expected to grow to more than 100.
The lawsuit does not go after British Airways, saying its pilots and crew did a heroic job in stopping the jet and getting everyone off safely.
