FAA to Order Boeing, Embraer to Inspect, Fix Possibly Defective Parts

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will on Monday publish proposed rules related to certain passenger planes made by The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and Brazil’s Embraer SA (NYSE: ERJ).

One new rule would require airlines to inspect and, if necessary, replace connectors that are part of the horizontal stabilizer in the tail of about 1,400 Boeing 737s according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Some 737-600s and later models are covered by the proposed rule. The FAA claims that a defective component could “end safe flight” according to the WSJ.

Operators will also be required to inspect nearly 200 of Embraer’s 170 and 190 regional jets for defective valves that could cause both of the planes’ engines to shut down during flight.

The FAA is not ordering an immediate repair for either problem, indicating that the agency does not expect an immediate problem. The proposed rules will be published in the Federal Register and a public comment period will follow before the rules are approved.

Boeing’s 737s were also the subject of a threatened grounding in Russia earlier this month when the Interstate Aviation Committee, known as MAK, withdrew the airworthiness certificates from all 737s for what the agency said was an issue with the plane’s altitude control system. MAK is a Russia-based agency that investigates aircraft accidents in former Soviet republics, including Belarus, Georgia, and Ukraine.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, known as Rosaviatsia, claimed that only it had the authority to ground foreign airline operations and that MAK had no authority to initiate a ban. Rosaviatsia prevailed and MAK issued a revised statement saying that it saw no reason to ground the 737s.

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