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FAA Proposes Mandatory 737NG Stabilizer Inspections Following Reports of Dangerous "Pitch Oscillations"
In a significant move to address emerging safety concerns within the global narrowbody fleet, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officially issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) targeting the horizontal stabiliser components of the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) series. (aeroxplorer.com) More...
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Not sure there is much to see here... moving parts wear over time, those parts should be inspected periodically, and worn parts should be replaced. Sounds like this is more about resolving a missing inspection step than it is about any sort of design flaw. Some of these airplanes are approaching 30 years in the fleet... wear should be expected.
“inspections could become mandatory for all US operators by late February or March 2026.”
Hopefully carriers will make the proper inspections before they become mandatory and before a catastrophic failure occurs.
Hopefully carriers will make the proper inspections before they become mandatory and before a catastrophic failure occurs.
I get more of the impression that inspections will only become mandatory AFTER a catastrophic failure. Potential lots of lives is never a motivator for anything to be done these days. It's the Actual loss of lives that's the instigator. Too late then!
Yes it's almost like there needs to be a required number of incidents of a certain type before anything gets done about it. The obvious possibilities get ignored until??
Sounds like there is potential for more detailed inspection of these parts.
That can evolve into the negative feedback loop called "pilot-induced oscillation," or PIO for short. Unless recognized and halted by the pilot, PIO worsens to the point of structural failure or loss of control.
Commercial pilots do receive training in avoiding and neutralizing PIO, but in this case they would need to immediately divine how the plane's behavior is divergent.
I was a passenger flying into O'Hare in August. The pilot hit some bumps on final, which started a Dutch roll, which turned into PIO, which arrested itself when he raised the nose for a go-around.