US aviation regulators said on Monday that thousands of Boeing 737 planes would have to be inspected, amid concerns that passengers’ oxygen masks could fail in emergencies.
The FAA’s airworthiness directive is effective immediately and affects more than 2,600 U.S.-registered airplanes.
The goal is to ensure that the passenger service unit’s oxygen generators are in the correct position on certain Boeing airplanes.
Operators must inspect the oxygen generators and “take corrective action, if necessary, within 120 to 150 days,” the FAA said in a statement.
He added that the directive was prompted by multiple reports of these generators being moved out of position and called for a general visual inspection to be conducted.
In response to questions, Boeing said a new adhesive introduced in August 2019 was found to sometimes allow the oxygen generator units to shift from their seats.
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In June, Boeing instructed operators to update a portion of the restraint straps on 737 oxygen generators.
The company added that it has since returned to using its original adhesive to ensure the generators stay in place.
The announcement adds to a series of concerns facing Boeing.
The manufacturer is grappling with intense scrutiny after a near-miss in January when a fuselage panel exploded from a 737 MAX operated by Alaska Airlines.
Earlier Monday, Boeing said it had reached a settlement with the US Department of Justice over two fatal 737 MAX crashes — with court documents showing the aviation giant would plead guilty to fraud.
Prosecutors concluded that Boeing violated an earlier settlement to deal with the disasters, which killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia more than five years ago.
Source: AFP