An electrical issue that led airlines to temporarily suspend certain groups of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from service has caused fresh concern after engineers reportedly found new electrical faults elsewhere in the aircraft.
“Suspected grounding problems have been found in two other places on the flight deck,” Reuters reported on April 18, 2021, citing inside sources close to the matter. “These include the storage rack where the affected control unit is and the instrumental panel facing the pilots.”
News about the additional findings on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft came a few days after Boeing sent out recommendations to 16 Boeing 737 MAX operators to “address a potential electrical issue” prior to operating certain groups of 737 MAX aircraft. The electrical problem, according to the regulator, is not related to the flight control system error that contributed to two fatal crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
“Boeing notified the FAA that it is recommending that operators of certain Boeing 737 MAX airplanes temporarily remove them from service to address a manufacturing issue that could affect the operation of a backup power control unit,” the FAA spokesperson told AeroTime News on April 9, 2021.
AeroTime News reached out to Boeing for comment and did not receive a response at the time of publication.