KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia-based airlines and operators have been given until Jan 10 to check their Boeing 737-8 (MAX) rudder control systems for loose hardware.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia issued safety information on Jan 4 to instruct operators to conduct a one-time inspection on their Boeing 737 MAX fleets for a rogue nut as listed in an advisory from the aircraft manufacturer, Boeing.
CAAM chief executive officer Datuk Norazman Mahmud said this is prompted by the discovery during a routine maintenance where an international operator detected a bolt with a missing nut on a mechanism in the rudder-control linkage of the aircraft.
The Boeing Company, he said, had also inspected several aircraft in production and found one additional aft rudder quadrant output rod with an under torqued (hand tight) fastener.
"The fastener plays a significant role in ensuring proper functioning of the rudder control system.
"A disconnect between the aft quadrant output rod and the rudder feel and centering unit will result in loss of positive feel and centering in both the Captain and First Officer's rudder pedals.
"The rudder will no longer respond to the pilot pedal inputs and will centre relative to the current rudder trim neutral position," he said in the safety information release.
Operators were also advised to plan and schedule inspections on their Boeing 737 MAX fleet.
"Report the inspection findings to the CAAM via the organisation's assigned Primary Inspector and also via the CAAM Aviation Reporting System (CAReS).
"Both the Boeing Company and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are closely monitoring the outcome of the inspections and conduct review on the safety impact to determine if additional action is required," he said.