FAA Reports 312 Boeing Planes May Contain Suspect Parts
The FAA's June 2 statement says that, following an investigation conducted by Boeing and the FAA Certificate Management Office, the FAA has determined that up to 148 parts manufactured by a Boeing sub-tier supplier are affected.
A statement posted by the Federal Aviation Administration on June 2 says Boeing has informed the FAA that "certain 737NG and 737MAX leading edge slat tracks may have been improperly manufactured and may not meet all applicable regulatory requirements for strength and durability."
It says that, following an investigation conducted by Boeing and the FAA Certificate Management Office, the FAA has determined that up to 148 parts manufactured by a Boeing sub-tier supplier are affected. Boeing has identified groups of both 737NG and 737MAX airplane serial numbers on which these suspect parts may have been installed, and there are 32 NG and 33 MAX aircraft affected in the United States. Worldwide, the affected fleet is 133 NG and 179 MAX aircraft, for a total of 312.
The statement says the affected parts "may be susceptible to premature failure or cracks resulting from the improper manufacturing process. Although a complete failure of a leading edge slat track would not result in the loss of the aircraft, a risk remains that a failed part could lead to aircraft damage in flight." It says the FAA will issue an Airworthiness Directive to mandate Boeing's service actions to identify and remove the suspect parts from service, and operators of affected aircraft are required to do this within 10 days. The agency has alerted international civil aviation authorities of the problem and the required actions.
Boeing's service bulletin on the issue is available here.