P.M. BRIEFING : FAA Wants Boeing 737 Change

The Federal Aviation Administration today tentatively ordered changes in the control panels of Boeing 737s to prevent a rudder control problem that is one focus of an accident hearing under way in New York.

The changes would make it less likely that pilots or cockpit visitors might accidentally move a rudder trim control knob that could reduce the pilot’s ability to control the plane or force an aborted takeoff, the FAA said.

The work would be relatively simple and cost about $820 per plane, the FAA said in issuing a proposed airworthiness directive. The directive would become final after a 60-day period for comment.

The order came as the National Transportation Safety Board opened a four-day hearing in New York City into the Sept. 20 crash of USAir Flight 5050 that killed two people. The plane skidded off the end of the LaGuardia Airport runway into the East River and broke into several pieces in an aborted takeoff, and investigators are examining a possible rudder control problem.