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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday warned Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the rudder control system on some 737 Next Generation and 737 Max 8 planes could fail or become limited. An urgent safety advisory has been issued.
The rudder controls the side-to-side movement of the aircraft’s nose, also known as yaw motion.
Boeing 737 MAX accident under investigation into ‘stuck’ rudder pedal
The agency is in the midst of investigating a February accident in which the rudder pedal of a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 “stuck” in the neutral position during a landing deployment at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
A United Boeing aircraft parks at the gate at Newark Liberty International Airport on March 19, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photographer: Angus Mordaunt/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
At the time, the captain had to rely on the nose wheel steering tiller to control the plane’s direction after touchdown, the NTSB said.
Pilots reported that the plane was able to taxi to the gate “without incident” and that all 155 passengers and six crew members were able to disembark. No injuries were reported.
Ticker Security Last Change Change % BA THE BOEING CO. 156.30 +1.81 +1.17%
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As part of the investigation, NTSB investigators tested one of the crash plane’s rudder control components at component manufacturer Collins Aerospace.
Researchers found that the functionality of the components was “significantly impaired” after testing in cold environments. Collins Aerospace then discovered that the parts had been incorrectly assembled during manufacturing.
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As part of Boeing’s 737 flight manual, pilots with a stuck or restricted rudder are required to “use maximum force, including the cooperation of both pilots, to prevent the rudder from becoming stuck or restricted. They are told to “beat the system.”


This advisory is in response to potential rudder control system failures or limitations on some 737 Next Generation and 737 Max 8 aircraft. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
However, NTSB investigators found that applying this amount of force during landing or deployment “results in large inputs to the rudder pedals and sudden, large, and undesired rudder deflections that can lead to unintentional loss of control or deviation from the runway.” “There is a possibility of deviations,” he said, expressing concern. . ”
In its recommendations, the agency suggested that aircraft manufacturers determine “appropriate flight crew responses other than applying maximum force” to such situations during flight and landing.