Boeing "Foreign Substance Found in Fuel Tank of Suspended 737 Max Aircraft in India"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Boeing, the American aircraft manufacturer, announced that foreign substances were found in the fuel tanks of 35 aircraft, accounting for 70% of the Boeing 737 Max planes under inspection among those grounded.

According to the Associated Press on the 22nd (local time), Boeing revealed that out of 50 Boeing 737 Max aircraft completed last year but not delivered to airlines worldwide and subject to inspection, 35 planes, or 70%, were found to have foreign substances inside their fuel tanks. Boeing discovered this during routine aircraft maintenance and immediately revised its production system by adding multiple inspection steps before sealing the fuel tanks to prevent recurrence.

In a statement, Boeing said, "This is an unacceptable issue that cannot be tolerated in any Boeing aircraft delivered to customers." However, the company urged not to apply the 70% defect rate uniformly to all 400 aircraft until the full inspection is completed, as it is not yet confirmed how many models have the same problem. Although these foreign substances are not directly linked to previous crash accidents, metal fragments or tools left inside the airframe during manufacturing are known to increase the risk of electrical short circuits or fires.

Previously, in October 2018, a Boeing 737 Max operated by Indonesia's Lion Air crashed, followed by another crash in March the following year involving an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max, resulting in a total of 346 passengers and crew deaths. Following these accidents, aviation authorities worldwide grounded the 737 Max, and production of the model has been temporarily halted. Boeing is currently testing a new flight control software system to replace the automatic stall prevention system identified as the cause of the crashes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.