FAA requires electrical fix on Boeing 737 Max jets to prevent problems in cockpit, ice protection - The Washington Post

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The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday ordered electrical fixes on scores of Boeing’s 737 Max jets after manufacturing changes created potential hazards that could affect ice-protection systems on the planes’ engines and cause other problems in the cockpit.

Airlines temporarily stopped flying the planes earlier this month pending needed repairs, the FAA and company said. The electrical issue is unrelated to the flawed automated system that led to two Max crashes, in Indonesia and Ethiopia, that left 346 people dead.

Boeing discovered the electrical problem in a newly manufactured Max plane that had yet to be delivered, according to the FAA order. It said electrical bonding on key panels in the cockpit was insufficient, which could “result in loss of critical functions … which may prevent continued safe flight and landing.”

Airlines have not reported experiencing such failures, the FAA said, but the agency said there is potential for degradation that could lead to problems over time.

According to the FAA, Boeing is developing procedures airlines should use to make fixes needed to address the condition. It said the affected planes were manufactured after a design change early in 2019.

In a statement, the FAA said Boeing’s routine testing identified a problem that could affect a backup power unit. A subsequent investigation by the company found “a potential weakening of bonds associated with electrical grounding” that could affect the main instrument panel, a standby power unit, and a key circuit breaker panel.

A Boeing spokeswoman did not address a question on how the company’s systems allowed the unsafe condition in its newly manufactured airplanes, but Boeing said in a statement that “we fully support the FAA’s directive.”

“We expect the work to take a few days per airplane — and we will continue to focus on safety, quality and transparency through this process,” company chief executive Dave Calhoun said Wednesday as the company announced earnings.

The FAA order said the company informed the agency of an electrical problem that created an urgent safety issue on April 7, and recommended its customers stop flying the affected planes on April 9. The FAA said airlines have ceased flying about 109 of the affected planes, 71 of which are registered in the United States.

The FAA order was released Wednesday and is scheduled to take effect Friday when it is formally published in the Federal Register.

All Max jets worldwide were grounded after the deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019, which raised far-reaching questions about aviation safety oversight and led to congressional action to address some shortcomings.

Boeing said Wednesday that since the FAA approved Max planes to fly again last November, the company has delivered more than 85 Max jets worldwide.

“Twenty-one airlines have returned their airplanes to service and have safely flown more than 26,000 revenue flights totaling more than 58,500 flight hours,” Calhoun said.

On Wednesday, Boeing announced its commercial airline revenue was down by more than $1.9 billion in the first quarter, despite an uptick in Max sales. Calhoun said accelerating vaccine distribution would help the industry address pandemic-era losses, calling 2021 “a key inflection point for our industry.”

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FAA requires electrical fix on Boeing 737 Max jets to prevent problems in cockpit, ice protection - The Washington Post
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