NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday issued interim safety recommendations to Indian carriers operating Boeing 737 aircraft and asked them to conduct a safety risk assessment to evaluate and mitigate the risk associated with the rudder control system.
The aviation regulator’s advisory comes days after the US National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) on September 26 warned that a faulty component in some Boeing 737 aircraft could jam the plane’s rudder control system used by pilots to steer the jetliners on runways.
NTSB was investigating a February 6, 2024, incident in which the rudder pedals on a United Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX were stuck in their neutral position while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport.
According to NTSB, a sealed bearing was incorrectly assembled on actuators for rudders that pilots adjust to stay in the centre of the runway after landing. As a result, moisture could leak into a rudder assembly and freeze.
In its interim safety recommendations on Monday, DGCA asked airlines to issue advisories and circulars to all its flight crew members regarding the possibility of a jammed or restricted rudder control system. “Appropriate mitigations must be communicated to help crews identify and handle such a situation,” the regulator told the airlines.
India has three airlines that have B737 aircraft: Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet.
“These interim measures aim to enhance safety and ensure that flight crews are well-prepared to handle potential Rudder control issues effectively, pending further detailed operational guidance to be issued by Boeing/FAA,” DGCA said in a statement.
It also asked all operators to conduct a Safety Risk Assessment for aircraft to evaluate and mitigate the risk associated with the rudder control system and discontinue Category III B approach, landing, and rollout operations (including practice or actual autoland) for planes until further notice.
“Discussion about potential rudder control system issues must be included as a mandatory topic in Recurrent Training sessions and Instrument Rating/Proficiency Checks (IR/PPC) during Pre-Simulator Briefings,” it said.
Airlines have also been instructed to include specific exercises in recurrent training that simulate scenarios involving a jammed or restricted rudder control system, including rollout procedures.
“Appropriate flight crew responses and mitigations should be practised during these exercises,” it instructed.
A Boeing spokesperson later said: “We thank the NTSB for their ongoing investigation and are reviewing their recommendations. In August, we informed affected 737 operators of a potential condition with the rudder rollout guidance actuator, which is part of an optional autoland system. The autoland system includes layers of redundancy and we are working with our supplier to develop additional guidance to address the potential condition. We will keep our regulator informed of our progress. We will also ensure flight crews have the appropriate operating procedures.”