Another strike against the already embattled jet maker Boeing; the National Transportation Safety Board has issued an “urgent safety recommendation” warning critical flight controls could jam in certain passenger planes. The issue was first seen on a United Airlines flight in February, but the NTSB now says it could happen on other planes.
The warning applies to the 737 Max and 737 Next Generation models, which are the two newest versions of the company’s most popular plane. The NTSB said a piece of the rudder control system can stop functioning in cold weather.
During the incident in February, the rudder pedals got stuck on a flight returning to Newark, New Jersey, forcing the pilot to control the plane using its nosewheel steering system. It landed fine and no one was hurt, but the incident was alarming enough to prompt an investigation, which found components from a certain manufacturer were the issue.
The Federal Aviation Administration said United is the only U.S. airline that has planes with those components and it’s their “understanding that the units are no longer in service.”
