The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued a notice for all Boeing 737 Max operators, which includes Cayman Airways, to check for a loose bolt that could impact how the aircraft turns while flying.
The notice was issued after an unidentified international operator of the 737 Max aircraft discovered a bolt that had a missing nut during a routine inspection.
All four of Cayman Airways’ Boeing 737 Max planes have been checked and a spokesperson has confirmed there are no missing parts.
“No discrepancies were found during the inspections and this information has been communicated to Boeing in keeping with their data collection associated with this precautionary B737 fleet inspection campaign,” said a CAL spokesperson.
According to the FAA, the bolt is connected to the plane’s rudder control system, which controls how the plane yaws, or turns, from side to side up to 360 degrees, while flying.
Although the FAA is looking at a possible maintenance breach, no grounding orders have been made and the aircraft are still considered safe for commercial operation.
“The agency is asking the airlines to work through their approved Safety Management Systems to identify whether any loose hardware has been detected previously and to provide the agency with details on how quickly these two-hour inspections can be completed,” advised the FAA in a statement issued on 28 Dec.
It noted that additional safety measures may be announced depending on the findings of each inspection.
An initial two-week window has been set by the FAA for all 737 Max operators to complete the necessary inspections and report the findings.
The spokesperson for Cayman Airways said its inspections were completed well in advance of this deadline.
“Cayman Airways completed the required precautionary inspections of its B737-8 fleet during scheduled overnight ground layovers in Grand Cayman last weekend, well ahead of the January 10, 2024 completion date requested by Boeing,” said the spokesperson.
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