Boeing Max 737 under scrutiny again after FAA proposes inspections for possible wiring flaw
The FAA publicly identified an “unsafe condition” that could result in a “loss of control” of certain Boeing 737 Max jets because of “nonconforming” installation of spoiler control wires.
In December 2021, the flight crew of a 737 Max 8 jet descending on autopilot from the skies somewhere over the United States momentarily lost control when it “rolled violently to the right” without warning, the plane’s captain recounted.
The first officer acted fast, disengaging the autopilot, and recovered control of the airplane — all within about a second. The plane landed safely with no other problems.
The unidentified plane’s sudden uncommanded bank, at an angle of about 30 degrees, was enough to prompt the captain to submit a report to the Aviation Safety Reporting System, a NASA-run repository shared confidentially among front-line aviation personnel worldwide and available publicly with identifying details removed.
In the report, the pilot wrote that a control panel warning lit up during the incident, signaling a problem with the airplane’s left-wing spoiler — a hinged plate on top of the wing that can be lifted to cause drag and slow the aircraft. It wasn’t the first time the problem had happened, the captain added.
“This exact scenario was previously written up in the logbook multiple times in the preceding days,” the captain noted.
Rating: 5