FAA Orders 737 Inspections

Airlines must inspect wing slats on all newer Boeing 737 aircraft to check for loose or missing parts in the wake of investigations of the Aug. 20 fire that destroyed a China Airlines 737 in Japan, the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered.

The FAA issued the emergency airworthiness directive (AD) Aug. 25 to all owners and operators of Boeing Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. There are about 783 U.S. planes in service since 1998, but the directive will likely be applied to the nearly 2,300 planes worldwide soon.

Loose or missing parts from the main slat track downstop assemblies, if not detected and corrected, could result in a fuel leak and consequent fire, the FAA directive said.

Following retraction of the slats after landing on a Model 737-800 airplane, loose parts of the main slat track downstop assembly punctured the slat can, which resulted in a fuel leak and a fire that ultimately destroyed the airplane.