FAA ordina ispezioni su flotta 737

[Doctorstein]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered an inspection of more than 1,000 U.S.-registered Boeing 737 jets to examine the tail planes for a potentially faulty part, which it said could cause pilots to lose control of the aircraft if it failed.
The airworthiness directive (AD) issued by the FAA calls on airlines and other operators to replace tail plane fixing pins with improved pins following concerns over how their protective surface coating was applied.
"We are issuing this AD to prevent premature failure of the attach pins, which could cause reduced structural integrity of the horizontal stabilizer to fuselage attachment, resulting in loss of control of the airplane," the FAA said in the directive issued on Monday.
The airworthiness directive was posted on the website of Federal Register (http://link.reuters.com/pyb47t) and was first reported by the Wall Street Journal late on Sunday.
The FAA said the inspection was "prompted by reports of an incorrect procedure used to apply the wear and corrosion protective surface coating to attach pins of the horizontal stabilizer rear spar."
FAA said its directive affects 1,050 aircraft flown by U.S. carriers and may cost up to $10.1 million across the fleet, or up to $9,627 per aircraft.
The directive applies to models including 737-600, 737-700, 737-700C, 737-800, 737-900, and 737-900ER series aircraft.
Boeing could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters outside of regular U.S. business hours.


fonte: http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2013/04/15/faa-orders-inspection-boeing-737-tail-planes/

 

[enrico]

Sarà interessante capire se la direttiva verrà condivisa da altri enti o compagnie extra USA, e soprattutto capire cosa dirà Boeing.

 

[Doctorstein]

Sarà interessante capire se la direttiva verrà condivisa da altri enti o compagnie extra USA, e soprattutto capire cosa dirà Boeing.

In Australia si sono già adeguati:

AUSTRALIAN airlines will need to inspect 120 newer Boeing 737s for improperly manufactured pins that could lead to a loss of control of the aircraft.

Australia will automatically adopt a US Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive issued yesterday and affecting about 1000 planes in the US.
The directive requires airline to look for and, where necessary, replace corrosion-prone pins that attach the horizontal moveable panels in an aircraft's tail.
It takes effect in late May and covers six models of newer 737s, including those used on the single-aisle workhorses by both major local airlines.
The horizontal stabiliser causes the nose of the plane to pitch upwards or downwards and the FAA warned that an incorrectly applied coating designed to protect the attach pins from corrosion could lead to premature failure.
It said this could cause "reduced structural integrity of the horizontal stabiliser to fuselage attachment, resulting in loss of control of the airplane''.
The FAA recently also mandated fixes by Boeing designed to prevent a severe vibration that posed a threat of structural failure in the tails of 737s and earlier this year expanded inspections and fixes for improperly installed bolts used to attach horizontal stabilisers to the aircraft.
Fonte: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...ty-pins-in-tails/story-e6frg95x-1226621344974