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Boeing wants an exemption from federal safety standards for an anti-icing system on its new, smaller version of the 737 Max airliner
ByThe Associated Press
January 5, 2024, 2:40 PM
DALLAS (AP) — Boeing is asking federal regulators to exempt a new model of its 737 Max airliner from a safety standard designed to prevent part of the engine housing from overheating and breaking off during flight. Federal officials said last year that Boeing was working to fix the hazard on current Max planes. In the meantime, they told pilots to limit use of an anti-icing system in some conditions to avoid damage that “could result in loss of control of the airplane.”
Without a fix ready, Boeing asked the Federal Aviation Administration last month for an exemption to safety standards related to engine inlets and the anti-ice system through May 2026. Boeing needs the exemption to begin delivering the new, smaller Max 7 to airlines. Boeing said Friday that it is “developing a long-term solution” that would face FAA review.
But some critics are raising alarms about basing safety on pilots remembering when to limit use of the anti-ice system.
“You get our attention when you say people might get killed,” Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for American Airlines pilots, told The Seattle Times, which reported on the waiver request Friday. “We’re not interested in seeing exemptions and accommodations that depend on human memory ... there’s just got to be a better way.”
Pilots flying the Max 8 and Max 9 have been warned to limit use of an anti-icing system to five minutes when flying in dry conditions. Otherwise, the FAA says, inlets around the engines could get too hot, and parts of the housing could break away and strike the plane, possibly breaking windows and causing rapid decompression.
The overheating issue only affects the Max, which has engine inlets made from carbon composite materials rather than metal. The FAA said last year that it had not received any reports of the overheating problem happening on Max flights, but that it issued the warning to pilots because of the severity of the risk, which was discovered on a test flight.
More recently, Max deliveries have been interrupted to fix manufacturing flaws, and last month the company told airlines to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder-control system.
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Comments
I think it’s called ”The Mini-Max”.
Thanks for the story OJ. Nuts! (or bolts) - Some serious safety concerns.
As you probably know, when you book directly with an airline you can click “details” (a bit hard to see) and it will show you the make of aircraft for that route before you make the purchase. Sometimes, due to operational issues, there will be a last minute change of aircraft - so you can’t be 100% sure, but usually it’s the aircraft listed under details when you book.
Avoid Southwest if you don’t like 737s. Honestly, call me dumb, but I’ll climb aboard most anything with wings. You will discover that regional jets (often used on some longer domestic flights) are generally operated by a smaller regional airline. This is a way for the big players to save money - as those regional carriers pay their (generally younger and less experienced) crews a lot less and the quality of aircraft and service vary quite a bit.
As to overall safety … if given a choice between riding a 737 Max operated by the airline’s own pilots or taking something else operated by a less experienced & lower paid regional crew - I’d opt for the 737/Max. I recently rode a Delta 717 (a derivative of the older DC - 9). Really getting dated. Not sure I’d trust it any more than a Max Those planes have had their share of issues over the years like any other aircraft. On some, there’s been issues with the jack-screw in the tail rudder assembly stripping or coming loose. It that fails in flight, the pilots loose most of their ability to change pitch & altitude or even keep the craft aloft. Sound inviting?
Looks like maybe what I call the "snub-nosed" jet flown between islands, here. Designed to carry FEWER passengers.
Yes, I'm aware of "details" of the flight when booking. Family is in Massachusetts. Hawaiian Air has a nonstop to Boston. But getting in and out of Boston's Logan Airport is a fucking nightmare, and the "big" airport in Connecticut (BDL) is closer to home, given the very shape of Massachusetts. We always use Bradley.