FAA Orders Inspection of Hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft Over Potential Fuselage Cracking

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new Airworthiness Directive requiring the inspection of hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft to detect potential fuselage cracking. The regulatory body warned that undetected damage in this area has the potential to compromise the aircraft’s structural integrity.

The directive affects approximately 471 U.S.-registered aircraft, encompassing the Boeing 737 MAX 8, MAX 9, and MAX 8-200 variants. This measure will also apply to inspect the model’s fleet worldwide.

Location of the Fault and Airline Directives

According to the FAA, the cracks were detected in a structural reinforcement located around the forward right-hand service door, adjacent to the forward galley.

To mitigate risks, operating airlines must comply with the following requirements:

Usage-Based Timeline: Inspections must be carried out according to a schedule based on the specific utilization of each aircraft.
Mandatory Repair: Any detected crack must be mandatorily repaired before the aircraft can return to commercial service.
Effective Date: The directive will formally take effect on September 10.

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The FAA clarified that a fleet grounding has not been ordered. The regulatory agency argued that the stipulated inspection intervals provide multiple opportunities to identify any cracking before it leads to a failure of structural integrity.

Production Line Adjustments and Safety Background

For its part, the FAA indicated that Boeing has already modified its manufacturing process to rectify this issue on newly built aircraft.

Accumulation of Regulatory Actions

This corrective action follows another Airworthiness Directive proposed by the FAA last month, which required the inspection of seat assemblies on 453 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft due to the possibility that they had been incorrectly installed.

The U.S. manufacturer has been under continuous regulatory scrutiny since January 2024, when a door plug blew out in mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines aircraft. The subsequent investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the aircraft had been delivered to the airline in October 2023 without four key bolts intended to secure the plug.

Starting September 10, U.S. airlines operating the MAX 8, MAX 9, and MAX 8-200 models must incorporate these inspections into their scheduled maintenance programs. Strict compliance with these checks will ensure the preventive remediation of structures before they affect normal fleet operations.