WASHINGTON (AP) – Safety regulators have issued an emergency order directing airlines to inspect and, if necessary, replace a critical engine part on popular Boeing 737s after four reports that the engines shut down during flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that its order affected about 2,000 twin-engine passenger planes in the United States.
The FAA said operators must inspect any 737 that has been parked for at least seven days or has flown less than 11 times since it returned to service. This is due to reports that certain engine valves can get caught in the open position.
Corrosion of the valves on both engines could lead to a complete loss of power without the ability to restart the engines, forcing pilots to land at a location other than an airport, the FAA said in the order, dated Thursday.
With Chicago-based Boeing Co. saying that with planes stored or used less frequently during the coronavirus pandemic, “the valve may be more susceptible to corrosion.” The company said it is providing parts inspection and replacement to aircraft owners.
The main airlines usually fly their planes several times a day. However, they parked hundreds of planes when the coronavirus pandemic triggered a collapse in air travel this spring and are bringing some of those planes back as passenger traffic has accelerated slightly.
The FAA did not provide details on the four cases of engine shutdowns.
Alaska Airlines said one occurred on a July 15 flight from Seattle to Austin, Texas, and the plane landed without incident. Alaska said six of its planes need inspections, which have already begun.
American, United and Southwest said that none of their planes had valve-related engine shutdowns. American said four of its planes needed inspections, which were completed and found no problems. United said it is inspecting 28 planes. Southwest was determining how many planes it needs to verify.
Delta Air Lines said it would inspect 20 planes, but did not say if any of its planes suffered from engine shutdowns.
The emergency order applies to the versions of the 737 called NG and Classic, the latter are no longer in production but remain in some airline fleets. The directive does not apply to the new Boeing 737 Max, which has been installed worldwide since March 2019 after two accidents that killed 346 people.
Airliners have two or more engines, and failures of multiple engines of the type warned by the FAA in its order are rare. An example was the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson,” in which US Airways pilots landed their aircraft on the Hudson River in New York after bird strikes shut down both engines. The 155 people on board survived.
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