![]() Had this issue not been detected, the results of pickle fork breakage could have been catastrophic. It was essential for Southwest Airlines to remove these aircraft since pickle fork cracking can cause additional stress, torque and improper management of aerodynamic forces. The issue with pickle fork cracks is that the entire structural integrity of the aircraft is at risk. The aircraft will remain out of our schedule until the maintenance items have been fully resolved, and we do not have a return to service timeline for the aircraft." Southwest removed the aircraft from our operation and reported the findings to Boeing and the FAA. "During our inspections of the high-cycle NGs, we did not find abnormalities on the vast majority of our inspected fleet but did identify signs of cracking on two aircraft. A spokesperson for the airline told KOMO News that the cracking was found during an examination of all its Boeing 737 NG in compliance with an Airworthiness Directive issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The issue was reported to the FAA and Boeing on Tuesday this week. Pickle forks on Southwest Airlines aircraft The discovery has caused the American airline to ground two of its Boeing 737 NG aircraft. ![]() The grounded 737 MAX and the P-8 Poseidon, which was developed using the 737 NG airframe, are unaffected by the issues, according to Boeing.It's more bad news for Southwest Airlines as it has been revealed some of its aircraft have been identified to have pickle fork cracks. Checks are also to be made for aircraft that have not yet accumulated “22,600 flight cycles, or within 1,000 flight cycles after the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs later”, reads the Airworthiness Directive. The Airworthiness Directive indicates that any Boeing 737 NG aircraft that have accumulated over 30,000 take-off and landing procedures have to be inspected within seven days of the effective AD date, which is October 3, 2019. Out of the 165 aircraft mandating inspection within seven days after the FAA issued the AD in the U.S., almost all of them are operated by Southwest, Reuters reports. The latter carrier is one of the most affected operators in the United States. ![]() Boeing expects that each aircraft will have to spend between two to three weeks on the ground in order to repair the pickle fork cracks.īrazilian airline GOL Linhas Aéreas grounded 11 NGs, while Southwest found two aircraft with structural cracks. Reportedly, 36 out of 686 checked 737NG aircraft were found to have structural cracks in their outboard chords of frame fittings and failsafe straps, located just above the wheel wells. For California consumers: more information about our privacy practices.more information about our privacy practices. ![]() ![]() based civil aviation authority estimated that 1,911 Boeing 737NG aircraft are affected in the United States alone. For any difficulty using this site with a screen reader or because of a disability, please contact us at 1-80 or. However, cracks were found on two 737NG fuselages that “accumulated between 35,578 and 37,329” cycles, according to the FAA’s issued AD. The system, nicknamed the pickle fork, was designed to safely handle 90,000 flight cycles – the total lifespan of a Boeing 737 NG. After the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) on October 3, 2019, operators of Boeing 737NG aircraft, models 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER, were forced to check for cracks on left and right-hand side suspension system, which connects the fuselage with the wings. ![]()
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