The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) surprised Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration on 20 February by unexpectedly announcing recommendations for modifying Boeing 737 rudders.
Initial reports view the NTSB recommendations as a move to speed up the retrofit and inspection programme agreed by Boeing and the FAA. "The FAA reviewed the NTSB recommendations, which appear to be basically the same as those under way," says a company source, who adds that "-it's much ado about nothing".
Boeing officially comments: "We interpret today's NTSB recommendation regarding the retrofit of a redesigned rudder power control unit as encouraging prompt action, as opposed to 'speeding up' the schedule for the modification." Boeing is working on an "aggressive schedule" as a result of the original modification announcement on 15 January.
Source: Flight International
