A United Boeing 737 rotating out of Washington Dulles. [Photo: AirlineGeeks | Peter Weiland]
Key Takeaways:
The NTSB issued urgent safety recommendations to Boeing regarding a potential rudder jamming issue on some 737 aircraft, stemming from a manufacturing defect in Collins Aerospace actuators.
The concern arose after a February incident where a United 737's rudder pedals became stuck on landing, leading to an investigation that found moisture could freeze inside incorrectly assembled actuators.
The NTSB recommends Boeing develop safer pilot responses than "overpowering" a jammed rudder and notify flight crews, while urging the FAA to consider removing the over 350 affected actuators from service.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made urgent safety recommendations to Boeing on Thursday, citing discovery of a potential issue involving the rudder of some 737 aircraft.
According to an NTSB statement, the FAA has also been made aware of the potential for the rudder to jam or become unresponsive because of the failure of a rollout guidance actuator.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
