Boeing 737 Max operators told to check fuselages for cracks

Inspections ordered by US regulator will affect about 470 aircraft, after reported problems in earlier models

The US aviation regulator has ordered inspections of the fuselages of Boeing 737 Max planes for possible cracks in a component.

The Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive will affect an estimated 471 aircraft and follows reports of cracks in earlier Boeing models.

The inspections, which will start from September, follow a similar FAA regime for previous Boeing 737 Next Generation models dating back to 2021.

Cracks were found in a component called the bear strap – sheets supporting the fuselage around the exit doors – on the older planes. The FAA said on Thursday that no such cracks have yet been found in 737 Max craft but that the similar design and build process makes the model susceptible to developing them.

It added that without action it could “lead to the inability of a principal structural element to sustain limit loads and adversely affect the structural integrity of the airplane”.

A Boeing spokesperson said that it had been working with airlines operating 737s for several years, after first identifying and notifying them of the issue in 2019.

“The FAA airworthiness directive published today mandates the inspections, as it did for the 737 Next Generation,” they said on Thursday. “We support both directives and continue to support our airline customers.”

Boeing added that the inspections would provide multiple opportunities to identify and correct problems before any cracks exceed critical length, and it was working through engineering changes to tackle the cause.

Attention on engineering problems on Boeing planes has intensified since the disastrous entry into service of the 737 Max model, whose flaws led to the deaths of hundreds of passengers in two crashes in 2018 and 2019 before it was grounded worldwide.

In 2024 a panel blew out of a 737 Max in mid-flight for Alaska Airlines, and concerns about production problems led to Ryanair, its biggest customer for the model, sending engineers to Boeing’s US factories to help to oversee the delivery of the planes it had ordered.