THE Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has given local airlines and operators until January 10 to check the rudder control systems of their Boeing 737-8 (MAX) air for loose hardware.

The New Straits Times reported that CAAM on January 4 issued an advisory to Malaysia-based airlines to conduct a one-time inspection on their planes for a rogue nut. 

Its chief executive officer Norazman Mahmud said the checks are crucial after an international operator detected a bolt with a missing nut on a mechanism in the rudder-control linkage of the aircraft during routine maintenance. 

Norazman said Boeing had also inspected several aircraft in production and found one additional aft rudder quadrant output rod with an under torqued (hand tight) fastener.

“The fastener plays a significant role in ensuring proper functioning of the rudder control system.

“A disconnect between the aft quadrant output rod and the rudder feel and centring unit will result in loss of positive feel and centring in both the captain and first officer’s rudder pedals.

“The rudder will no longer respond to the pilot pedal inputs and will centre relative to the current rudder trim neutral position,” he said in the safety information release.

He also advised operators to plan and schedule inspections and report the inspection findings to CAAM via the organisation’s assigned primary inspector and also via the CAAM Aviation Reporting System.

“Both the Boeing Company and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are closely monitoring the outcome of the inspections and conducting a review on the safety impact to determine if additional action is required,” he said. – January 7, 2024.