NTSB calls out FAA, saying 737 safety issue needs more attention

• The NTSB issued an urgent safety recommendation on Friday, warning that a rudder control component on some Boeing 737 models could become non-functional in certain cold weather conditions.
• In response to that release, the FAA said it had addressed the issue and was not aware of any affected parts being in service at U.S. airlines.
• The NTSB chair suggests that the FAA was not doing all it could to address the issue, and moreover, that it was inaccurate to say the part was not in service at U.S. carriers.

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board issued a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration administrator Tuesday saying the FAA did not seem to be taking seriously NTSB safety recommendations for a recently-identified issue with a Boeing 737 part.

The NTSB issued an urgent safety recommendation on Friday, warning that a rudder control component on some Boeing 737 models could become non-functional in certain cold weather conditions.

In response to that release, the FAA said it had addressed the issue and was not aware of any affected parts being in service at U.S. airlines.

Monday’s letter from the NTSB chair suggests that the FAA was not doing all it could to address the issue and, moreover, that it was inaccurate to say the part was not in service at U.S. carriers.