FAA orders action on Boeing 737 MAX circuit breaker issue
Dhaka: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an airworthiness directive for all Boeing 737 MAX 8, 8-200, and 9 airplanes to address a circuit breaker issue that could trigger excessively high temperatures in the cabin and flight deck.
The directive requires operators to revise the airplane flight manual within 30 days, outlining procedures for flight crews if a specific circuit breaker trips and causes an air conditioning malfunction.
According to the FAA, the directive affects 2,119 aircraft worldwide, including 771 registered in the United States.
The regulator said two in-flight incidents were recently reported in which onboard temperatures increased sharply. Boeing identified the root cause as a ground wire fault in the air conditioning system.
The FAA warned that such a malfunction could result in uncontrollable high temperatures, potentially leading to injury or incapacitation of flight crew and passengers and affecting the ability to maintain safe flight and landing.
Boeing said it supports the directive, which mandates guidance the manufacturer issued last month. The company added it is advancing an engineering solution to eliminate the possibility of the electrical fault.
Boeing expects the fix to be available for the 737 MAX 7 and 10 before certification and said it does not anticipate any impact on their certification timeline.
Southwest Airlines, which experienced one of the reported incidents, said it is in close contact with the FAA and Boeing and has informed flight crews about the required response procedures.
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