FAA Panel Said to Seek Revamp of 737 Rudder

A Federal Aviation Administration engineering board will recommend redesign of the Boeing 737 rudder control systems, the Washington Post reported in today’s editions.

Citing government and aviation industry officials, the Post said that the recommendation will be made in response to tests that indicated the system could fail in several ways that, however unlikely, could cause the rudder to move unexpectedly.

It said one previously unsuspected failure could involve a small buildup of ice in one control link.

The Post said both the FAA and Boeing Co. stressed that the possible failures are so unlikely that no immediate mechanical fixes are necessary but that, pending redesign or modification of the rudder, they are following the board’s suggestion to come up with new pilot emergency procedures, new mechanical inspections and new training for pilots and mechanics to alert them to the early signs of rudder problems.

The paper noted that the 737 is the most prevalent jetliner in commercial service, with 3,630 built so far, and that they have compiled one of the best safety records in aviation after 99.7 million flight hours.

“We really haven’t found anything that would cause us to do any remedial action,” Thomas McSweeny, the FAA associate administrator for regulation and certification, told the Post. “We don’t want to push the science [and] create unintended consequences.”

Elizabeth Erickson, the agency’s director of aircraft certification service, told the paper the FAA is working closely with Boeing on new emergency procedures and that Boeing is already working on a rudder redesign.