WASHINGTON — Safety investigators are making “urgent” recommendations to Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration after determining that pedals that pilots use to steer 737 Max jetliners on runways can become stuck because moisture can leak into a rudder assembly and freeze.
The National Transportation Safety Board issued the recommendations Thursday following its investigation into an incident earlier this year involving a United Airlines plane.
The FAA said United is the only US airline affected by the recommendations, and it believes the parts susceptible to interference are no longer in use.
Collins Aerospace, a Boeing supplier, determined that a sealed bearing was improperly mounted on rudder actuators that pilots adjust to stay in the center of the runway after landing.
Collins told Boeing that the faulty work affected at least 353 actuators installed on some Max jets and older 737s, according to the NTSB.
The NTSB recommended that Boeing change flight manuals to remove advice that pilots use maximum pedal force to overpower a stuck rudder. The NTSB said that could create sudden rudder movements that could cause the plane to go off the runway.
The NTSB recommended that the FAA determine whether actuators with improperly installed bearings should be removed until replacements are available.
On February 6, the rudder pedals on a United Airlines Boeing Max 8 jammed as the plane rolled down the runway after landing at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
The captain took control by using the tiller, a handle in the cockpit that turns the steering wheel under the plane’s nose. The plane swerved into a high-speed spin, but no injuries were reported among the 155 passengers and six crew members.
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