Boeing is asking federal regulators to exempt its new 737 Max 7 model from safety standards — just weeks before the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the Max plane to be grounded earlier after a window panel exploded on an Alaskan Airlines flight on Friday.
Federal officials said last year that the airline was working to fix a hazard in its current Max planes that could cause parts of the engine housing to overheat and break off during flight — potentially hitting windows and causing rapid decompression.
The FAA is asking pilots flying the Max 8 and Max 9 models to limit use of the anti-icing system in dry conditions to avoid damage that “could result in loss of control of the aircraft” while it deals with the issue – but Boeing has yet to come up with a permanent fix.
Last month, Boeing asked the FAA for a waiver of safety standards related to engine inlets and anti-icing systems on its new Max 7 plane until May 2026. The company needs the waiver to begin delivering the new small, yet-to-be-produced plane to airlines.
Boeing is asking federal regulators to exempt its new 737 Max model from safety standards ZUMAPRESS.com
Boeing said Friday that it was “developing a long-term solution” that would face FAA review.
The overheating issue only affects the Boeing Max, which has engine intakes made from carbon composite materials rather than metal.
The hazard caused a fatality in 2018, when an engine fan blade broke on an older 737 during a Southwest Airlines flight. A loose piece of the engine housing came loose and hit and broke the window, killing a woman sitting in the window seat.
A window blew out on an Alaskan Airlines flight Friday night. Instagram/@strawberrvy via REUTE
A Boeing spokesman told The Associated Press that under the company’s request, the new Max 7 pilots will follow the same guidelines for refraining from using anti-icing systems as the pilots of the current Max aircraft.
There have been two major accidents involving the 737 Max since it entered service in 2017.
In 2018, a plane operated by Indonesian airline Lion Air crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 189 people on board. Then five months later in 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed – also shortly after takeoff – killing all 157 on board.
Boeing said it was developing a long-term solution to fix the 737 Max issue. AFP via Getty Images
All Max jets have been grounded worldwide for nearly two years while the company makes changes to the automatic flight control system that pushes the nose down based on faulty sensor readings.
The FAA on Saturday ordered several Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes off the air after a large piece of the fuselage exploded on an Alaskan Airlines flight in midair, sucking passengers’ belongings out of a gaping hole and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.
The grounding involved about 171 aircraft worldwide, the agency said.
The FAA said its Emergency Airworthiness Directive “will require operators to inspect aircraft prior to further flight.”
By Postal Wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
