So they finally found a market for their useless device?...............
Posted on 07/10/2024 11:07:09 AM PDT by Red Badger
A Southwest Airlines jet that experienced “Dutch roll” while flying at 34,000 feet had undergone routine maintenance before being parked outside during a strong storm, after which pilots noticed unusual movements of the plane‘s rudder pedals.
Following the incident in May, Southwest Boeing mechanics found “substantial” damage to the plane’s tail, where the rudder is located.
However, the National Transportation Safety Board said it had not determined when the damage occurred.
According to data from Flightradar24.com, the Boeing 737 Max was grounded for more than a month before resuming flights last week.
“Dutch roll” is a swaying, rhythmic combination of yaw, the tail sliding sideways, and the wingtips moving up and down.
The Southwest jet suffered dangerous movement while flying at 34,000 feet and then again when descending to 32,000 feet while flying from Phoenix to Oakland, California.
While the condition can be dangerous, modern planes now have a “yaw damper” to stop the oscillation, which causes the Dutch roll.
After the planes landed, airline mechanics discovered fractures in the metal bracket and ribs, which hold a backup power control unit to the rudder system.
Investigators last week examined the damaged parts in Ogden, Utah.
The plane was parked overnight at the New Orleans airport on May 16 during thunderstorms and heavy rain.
The plane underwent scheduled maintenance on May 23 before pilots noticed the rudder pedals moving when the yaw damper was engaged.
The NTSB said that on May 25, pilots felt the pedals moving during the Dutch roll and after landing.
All of the 31 Max jets were inspected by Southwest, but no other cases of damage were found around the rudder power units, NTSB said.
The most recent Boeing incident was reported last month, when a Korean Air Boeing 737 Max 8 experienced a sudden emergency plummeting 26,900 feet before making multiple erratic loops before stabilizing.
Fifteen passengers suffered injuries ranging from severe hyperventilation and eardrum pain, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Aviation PING!........................
A lot of small aircraft have a “club” sort of device that’s used inside the cockpit to lock the yoke and pedals in place, preventing wind slamming the control surfaces around.
Don’t know if there’s an equivalent for airliners
Sabotage?
Seems like a maintenance union problem, not a Boeing problem.
So they finally found a market for their useless device?...............
It really is amazing how easily people are manipulated ... they’ll even get multiple doses of mRNA injections.
Is the consensus on these planes that they are less stable to fly than desirable due to design and engineering decisions made to save money and time getting into production? I have read that they can be very difficult to fly “manually” and that may be why pilots with less training and experience with them have had issues when they HAD to go manual in an emergency, etc?
This, OTOH ... "Remove Before Flight":
Yeah ... definitely a good idea.
Gotta get Boeing in the headline.
There is no such thing as a "Boeing Southwest Airlines mechanic".
They are solely employees of Southwest Airlines that are rated to work on Boeing aircraft. Those mechanics and that airline are solely responsible for aircraft maintenance.
Reading the story, it sounds like the rudder wasn't locked and was damaged by windgusts.
Has anyone figured out this is ‘too many incidents in a short time’ and that these problems are likely intentional?
Yes.
But that’s not the agenda Big Media and its masters wish to promote.
Used to love flying. It sucks now. I’ll stick to my car, thank you.
Made in Guangdong province?
It’s not Herb Kelleher’s Southwest Airlines anymore.
Sooo, they noticed it during pre-flight checks, and were OK with it?
“modern planes now have a “yaw damper” to stop the oscillation, which causes the Dutch roll. “
Yaw dampers have been on aircraft at least since the 60s, maybe longer. It’s not new technology.
Maybe don’t expose 737 Max to airflows about 55 mph until this is sorted out?
Just noting that Love Field, home of Southwest, had wind gusts of 74.9 mph in May, while DFW had 77 mph in the same storm. So I think it’s likely the plane, not the wind that was the root cause of this one.
Boeing has a couple of facilities in Ogden. I don’t see any Southwest facilities there.
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