China orders Boeing 737 safety tests

By Jane Chen | March 18, 2010, Thursday |

Online Edition

CIVIL Aviation Administration of China has ordered emergency inspections for 160 Boeing 737 aircraft in China over possible safety concerns.

There are specific concerns regarding loose elevator tabs on 600, 700, 800, and 900 series aircraft of the 737 model, today's National Business Daily reported.

This condition, if not corrected, could result in a loss of aircraft control and structural integrity, the newspaper cited a CAAC official as saying.

According to the CAAC's notice on Monday, airlines should replace the problematic parts and report the test results to the air authority in 10 days.

There are 603 Boeing 737 planes in China, including 134 700-series, 318 800-series and five 900-series, with Air China, China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines, China Southern, Xiamen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines.

Boeing China told the newspaper the company had already suggested its customers inspect the aircraft after a Ryanair 737-800 traveling from the Netherlands to Spain experienced "severe vibration" in flight on March 2.

The flight landed safely, but an inspection found extensive damage to the left elevator, which is the movable flap on the horizontal tail that controls the pitch of the airplane. Fractured mounting lugs are suspected to be the root cause.

Following Boeing's recommendation, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States ordered emergency checks to about 600 Boeing-737 planes a week ago.

Nation

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China orders Boeing 737 safety tests

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