Boeing’s 737 Faces Another Safety Issue: Here’s What We Know

The National Transportation Safety Board’s director issued a warning letter to the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday.

Mount Baker in Washington is seen in the distance as a WestJet Airlines Boeing 737 Max aircraft arrives at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on Jan. 21, 2021. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

A federal agency on Monday warned that dozens of foreign plane operators may be using Boeing 737s with suspect rudder control parts that could pose potential safety risks.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, said that 271 impacted parts could be installed on aircraft in service operated by at least 40 foreign air carriers. Sixteen of the impacted parts may still be installed on U.S.-registered aircraft and up to 75 such parts may have been used in aftermarket installation, she wrote in a Sept. 30 letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).