Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Boeing Co. has found potential electrical faults in two additional sections of the 737 Max’s cockpit, a week after a similar manufacturing defect led to a temporary stop for recently delivered jets, people familiar with the matter said.
The plan maker inspected the Max’s cockpit for other electrical faults in the vicinity of the fault unveiled last week with the aircraft’s standby power-control unit, and is making plans for repairs. Maintenance is not expected to be time consuming or complicated, requiring only basic hardware such as nuts and bolts, said a Max customer informed by Boeing.
Still, the discovery of new problems adds to the embarrassment for Boeing, which is trying to make a smooth return for the Max after 20 months of grounding, forced by two deadly crashes. The electrical problem may affect about 450 Max jets produced since the beginning of 2019, including about 90 aircraft operated by airlines and the rest have been stockpiled.
The work should take a few days for each plane if Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration have an action plan, one of the people asked not to be identified, as the matter is confidential.
Boeing said it is “working with customers on service bulletins that will be submitted to the FAA for approval. The bulletins are aimed at ensuring adequate ground path in the cockpit of affected aircraft. “
Shares fell 1.2% at close in New York to $ 248.18.
The FAA has not yet mandated repairs, while Boeing continues to assess the situation. “The FAA will thoroughly review any proposed solution that Boeing offers us,” the agency said in an emailed statement.
Aviation Week previously reported that the defects could be traced back to a production change that was implemented in early 2019 with fasteners and a coating. In some cases, the coating can cover the wiring, causing a unit that controls backup power for the aircraft to malfunction.
The manufacturing change that led to the original problem was considered so minor that it did not require approval from the FAA or a review by Boeing employees posted as representatives of the agency, the regulator said.
– With help from Alan Levin