United Airlines has confirmed that the airline has postponed some Boeing 737 Max 9 deliveries as the Federal Aviation Administration continues to review the airline’s safety processes. The airline has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, including a runway incident at Houston George Bush Airport.
During the first quarter 2024 earnings conference call, United Airlines President Brett Hart said that as mentioned by Scott Kirby, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the airline has begun “a thorough review of our processes and procedures” to be carried out with the FAA. Hart added that these audits give United Airlines an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to safety.
United Airlines plagued by series of breakdowns
However, the manager explained that deliveries were being delayed due to cooperation with the regulator. As a result, United Airlines expected a “small number” of aircraft scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2024 to be delayed. However, Hart said this would have only a “minimal impact” on the airline’s planned capacity growth throughout the year.
In recent months, United Airlines has experienced numerous incidents that made it to the media and prompted the FAA to take a closer look at the airline and its processes. These included a runway incident in Houston in which a Boeing 737 Max 9 skidded off the runway while attempting to slow down for a turn onto the taxiway. Other incidents during the year included stuck rudder pedals on a Boeing 737 Max 8, an engine failure on a 737-900, an in-flight loss of aircraft parts on a 737-800, significant wing flap damage on a 757, a hydraulic failure on an Airbus A320 and others.
FAA issued new airworthiness directive
While the FAA’s latest airworthiness directive for the Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft only affects a small portion of the US-based fleet, a stakeholder once again called for a complete shutdown of the entire fleet. The instruction issued on April 17, 2024, with an effective date of May 22, 2024, addressed failure of the emergency power supply unit (SPCU) under certain conditions. According to the FAA, the proposed rule issued in August 2023 was prompted by the determination that loss of connection to the ground via the P6 panel resulted in SPCU failure.
The FAA warned that failure of the SPCU and connection to the ground via the P6 panel could potentially result in a significant loss of cockpit instruments and displays, posing a safety risk. As a result, the regulator mandated that operators install two connection cables from the P6 panel to the primary structure. However, the FAA estimated that only 79 Boeing 737 Max 8 or Max 9 aircraft in the US are affected by the order.
In April 2021, the FAA already published an instruction regarding the P6 panel, the mounting plate for the SPCU and the main instrument panel (MIP) assembly. At that time, the regulator said it had received a report of an electrical connection and grounding problem on a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The order affected 71 aircraft in the US, with the regulator immediately adopting the order and saying that Boeing had recommended operators withdraw the affected 737 Max.
The FAA said an investigation identified inadequate connections of certain metal support plate assemblies installed in two locations in the cockpit, which compromised the electrical grounding of the installed equipment. The binding issues arose following “design changes” that were not previously present. Without dedicated ground paths, the existing uncontrolled ground paths could be degraded or lost entirely, according to the FAA, and could compromise certain systems, including engine ice protection, resulting in loss of critical functions and/or multiple simultaneous cockpit effects, preventing safe continued flight and could prevent a safe landing.
