Rudder failure on Boeing 737s causes urgent safety alert from NTSB
Sep 27, 2024, 7:55 AM
A Unted Airlines Boeing 757 departs from Los Angeles International Airport en route to New York on September 19, 2024. (Photo: Kevin Carter, Getty Images)
(Photo: Kevin Carter, Getty Images)
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued an urgent safety recommendation to Boeing and the FAA about a manufacturing fault in an auto-landing system with some 737 plane models.
According to the warning, actuators attached to the rudders on some 737 NG and 737 MAX airplanes can fail, causing rudder controls to jam when landing, preventing the pilots from making side-to-side movements down the runway. The component that failed is part of an optional automated landing system.
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“The NTSB expressed concern that this amount of force applied during landing or rollout could result in a large input to the rudder pedals and a sudden, large, and undesired rudder deflection that could unintentionally cause loss of control or departure from a runway,” NTSB said in a prepared statement addressing the situation.
The issue only impacts United Airlines in the U.S., as of this reporting, but it could extend to foreign airlines flying certain MAX and NG models. United reported it has replaced the faulty parts on its nine impacted jets.
The FAA will monitor the situation closely. The NTSB also asked Boeing to develop improved instructions for how pilots should handle rudder jam issues.
Boeing’s stock price climbs slightly
Despite the recent safety recommendation from NTSB and a strike with machinists that has cost Boeing $1.4 billion and counting, according to The Hill, the airplane manufacturer’s stock price rose in recent premarket trading.
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The stock jumped 0.4%, and gained 0.8% this week through Thursday, putting the company on pace to snap a five-week downturn.
For the month of September, Boeing’s stock has tumbled 11%, making it the Dow’s worst month-to-date performer, according to MarketWatch.
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
