US stops expanding Boeing 737 production, Boeing 757 has wheel loss problem

On Wednesday (January 24), after approving a detailed inspection framework, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it would allow Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to return to service following the incident where the plane's emergency exit latch panel broke off in mid-air earlier this month. However, the FAA decided not to allow Boeing to expand the production scale of the 737 MAX aircraft line.

A Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Photo: Reuters

Boeing 737 MAX production expansion halted

United Airlines said Boeing 737 MAX planes will return to service on January 28. "We will only return each MAX 9 aircraft to service after completing a thorough inspection process," said Toby Enqvist, CEO of United Airlines.

The FAA's announcement is a significant move after the agency grounded 171 MAX 9 aircraft following a January 5 incident on an Alaska Airlines plane.

The grounded 737 MAX jets are similar in design and construction to the Alaska Airlines jet whose fuselage exit latches came loose, exposing passengers to the air and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. No one was injured in the incident, but safety inspectors said it could have been catastrophic.

The FAA said the inspection will ensure the parts “conform to the original design and are safe to operate. This aircraft will not be flown until the process is complete and compliance with the original design is confirmed.”

Also on January 24, the FAA said it was ordering Boeing to halt production of the 737 MAX. The FAA said the halt in production of Boeing's best-selling 737 MAX narrow-body aircraft was necessary to "ensure accountability and full compliance with required quality control procedures" by the aircraft manufacturer.

"We will not agree to any request from Boeing to expand production or approve additional production lines for the 737 MAX until we are satisfied that quality control issues have been addressed," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement.

In October 2023, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said the company plans to increase production capacity to 38 737 MAX planes per month by the end of 2023.

Supplier Boeing's latest 737 schedule calls for an average production rate increase to 42 planes per month by February of this year; 47.2 by August; 52.5 by February 2025 and 57.7 by October 2025. However, the FAA's decision raises questions about the future of that production plan.

Boeing 757 has an accident… lost a wheel!

While federal regulators stepped up scrutiny of Boeing after the mid-air emergency exit door failure, Boeing faced another incident on January 20 when a Boeing 757 operated by Delta Air Lines carrying 190 people lost its front wheel as it prepared to depart from the United States to Colombia.

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 on the runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale. Photo: AP

The front wheel of the Boeing 757 passenger plane came off and rolled while preparing to take off over the weekend from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport bound for Bogota, Colombia, according to the FAA.

The report said the plane was waiting in line for takeoff when the nose wheel detached and the plane rolled down the hill. "A wheel on the front landing gear detached and rolled onto a nearby embankment," the FAA said.

After the incident, maintenance crews were called in to find the plane's wheels and assess the situation. The Boeing 757 was on the runway for three hours. Planes waiting behind were rerouted to other runways.

None of the 184 passengers and six crew members on board were injured in the incident, according to a preliminary FAA statement.

According to the New York Times, the cause of the plane's wheel falling off is still unknown. Delta Airlines has apologized to customers and passengers have been put on alternative flights. The FAA is currently investigating the cause of the incident.

Hoai Phuong (according to Reuters, NY Times)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/vua-bi-tam-dung-san-xuat-may-bay-boeing-da-lai-gap-su-co-mat-banh-post282347.html