In a recent safety inspection of Boeing 737 Max aircraft operated by Indian airlines, a missing washer was discovered on one of the planes, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported on Tuesday.
This finding has led Boeing to issue a global directive to inspect all 1,300-plus active 737 Max airplanes for “possible loose hardware” within a 24-hour period.
The fleet of 40 737 Max planes in India is distributed among Akasa Air with 22 aircraft, SpiceJet with nine, and Air India Express also with nine. The DGCA stated that inspections of 39 planes showed “nil findings,” but the 40th plane revealed the absence of a washer, which has been addressed as per Boeing’s recommendations.
Recent Mid-Air Door Incident Raises Questions About Boeing 737 Max Safety
This scrutiny comes at a time when Boeing is facing intensified pressure due to recent incidents involving its 737 Max jets. Notably, a door blow-out incident occurred mid-air on a new Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 last week, risking the safety of 177 passengers. This adds to the aircraft’s troubled history, including a global grounding from March 2019 to December 2020 following two fatal crashes that claimed 345 lives.