In an apparent effort to prevent any major air disaster, the FAA has decided to issue an emergency directive that will make it mandatory for the operators of specific early Boeing 737 models to conduct initial and repetitive electromagnetic inspections for fatigue damage. The FAA is set to issue the directive today.
The FAA’s move is seen as a direct response to the development of a hole in the fuselage in a Southwest Airlines last week. It is learnt that the officials of the Southwest Airlines has been working with the FAA and the NTSB in inspecting 79 planes of the company. The hole was developed when the plane was flying from Phoenix to Sacramento. The pilots made an emergency landing in Yuma, AZ to prevent any major incident.
The FAA said in a press statement that its emergency directive will require initial inspections using electromagnetic, or eddy-current, technology in specific areas of the aircraft fuselage on certain Boeing 737 aircraft. The news release added that the aircraft in the -300, -400 and -500 series that have accumulated more than 30,000 flight cycles will be inspected.
Meanwhile, the Southwest Airlines said that the inspections already done by the FAA and the NTSB should be sufficient. "With our knowledge of what the FAA has planned, we believe the 79 aircraft already identified for inspection will accomplish this directive for Southwest Airlines," the company said in a news release. Alaska Airlines added that says two of its planes fit the criteria and they will be inspected. "Our remaining 15 aircraft covered by this directive are well below the FAA's inspection interval and can fly for three years or more before an inspection is required," Alaska Airlines said in a statement.
