Boeing issues alert after a 'bolt with a missing nut' found in 737 Max

US-based Boeing has asked airlines to carry out safety checks on newer 737 MAX airplanes after a loose bolt was discovered in one of the planes. The American airline manufacturer has urged the operators of newer single-aisle airplanes to inspect specific tie rods that control rudder movement for possible loose hardware. 

The alert has prompted three Indian airlines - Akasa, Air India Express, and SpiceJet - that operate the type of aircraft to carry out safety checks. India's aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said it had been in touch with Akasa, Air India Express, and SpiceJet, which operate the aircraft, NDTV reported on Sunday.

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The US' Federation Aviation Administration (FAAA) said it was closely monitoring targeted inspections of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes to look for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.

Boeing recommended the inspections after an international operator discovered a bolt with a missing nut while performing routine maintenance on a mechanism in the rudder-control linkage, the aviation agency said. The plane maker discovered an additional undelivered aircraft with a nut that was not properly tightened.

The DGCA said this had been an ongoing issue with Max 737 and these were service bulletins issued from time to time by Boeing to the airline operators for the suggested action whenever any issue came across. "We have been in touch with Boeing, FAA, and our airline operators in the past too on such issues concerning 737 Max," the DGCA said in a statement.

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In such cases, the regulator further said, mitigation as recommended by the Original Equipment Manufacturers is carried out by the airline operator as has been done in the past in respect of 737 Max.

An Akasa Air spokesperson said the airline would be following the checks and procedures that the manufacturer or regulator recommends. "Our operating fleet and deliveries are not impacted so far," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The US aviation regulator said that it had asked the airlines to work through their approved safety management systems to identify whether any loose hardware had been detected previously and to provide the agency with details on how quickly these two-hour inspections could be completed.