U.S. Agency Says More Than 40 Foreign Airlines Using 737s With Faulty Rudder Components

In a shocking revelation, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has claimed that more than 40 foreign operators may be using Boeing 737 aircraft with faulty rudder components. In a letter to the powerful U.S. aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the NTSB said it was afraid that airlines using the aircraft were unaware of the actuators which could lead to jammed rudder control systems on the single-aisle aircraft. The NTSB also disclosed that it had learned two foreign operators suffered similar incidents in 2019 involving rollout guidance actuators. The NTSB has been investigating an incident in February this year in which the rudder pedals on a United Airlines Boeing 737-MAX 8 were ‘stuck” in the neutral position during landing at Newark. The incident did not lead to any injuries. The letter to FAA did not name any of the airlines but said that none of the U.S. airlines were flying the afflicted aircraft. Boeing shares fell 2.7% on Monday.