The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently announced seven critical safety recommendations aimed at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing.
These suggestions focus on fixing faulty evacuation slide parts found on certain Boeing aircraft. The issue came to light during an investigation into an emergency landing of FedEx Flight 1376, a Boeing 757-236, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The NTSB directed three recommendations to Boeing and four to the FAA to ensure passenger safety.
The FedEx Landing Incident
On 4 October 2023, at around 11:47 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, FedEx Flight 1376 took off from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA). Shortly after departure, the crew noticed a warning from the engine indication and crew alerting system.
It signaled a failure in the left hydraulic system. Unable to lower the landing gear despite several attempts, the pilots turned back to CHA. They declared an emergency and landed without the gear extended.
When the aircraft was brought to a stop, the crew followed the evacuation checklist. However, a jumpseat occupant struggled to open the left (L1) door.
The door only opened halfway, and the evacuation slide failed to deploy.
Investigation Uncovers Issues
The NTSB’s ongoing investigation revealed why the L1 and R1 doors didn’t work properly. For the R1 door, examiners found a problem with the bannis latch.
This is a key part of the assembly that releases the slide. The fitted latch did not match the current design of the release cable assembly.
After the accident, FedEx checked the L1 and R1 doors on its 97 other Boeing 757 planes. While no identical problems surfaced, about 24% of the doors (46 in total) had noncompliant parts.
Investigators still don’t know why these faulty components were on the affected aircraft.
New Safety Steps Proposed
Based on these findings, the NTSB issued new safety recommendations to prevent future risks. Here’s what they suggest:
To the FAA:
Inspect Boeing 757 Doors: Order all operators of Boeing 757-200, -200CB, and -300 series planes to check their bannis latches. If needed, operators should update or replace them to meet the right standards.
Check Similar Models: Require operators of Boeing 727 and 737 planes with the same bannis latch design to inspect and fix any issues.
Update 757 Manuals: Mandate that Boeing 757 operators revise their Aircraft Maintenance Manuals (AMM) for the 757-200, -200CB, and -300 series.
Revise Other Manuals: Ensure operators of Boeing 727 and 737 models with matching latch designs update their maintenance manuals too.
To Boeing:
Issue a 757 Service Bulletin (SB): After updating the 757 maintenance manual and parts catalog, release a bulletin. It should urge operators to inspect and correct bannis latches on 757-200, -200CB, and -300 series planes.
Address 727 and 737 Models: Release a similar bulletin for Boeing 727 and 737 operators using the same latch design, encouraging inspections and fixes.
Review Documentation: Examine maintenance manuals and parts catalogs for Boeing 727 and 737 models with the same latch setup as the 757.
Conclusion
These recommendations aim to fix a serious safety gap with Boeing evacuation slides. Faulty evacuation slides could delay escapes during emergencies, putting lives at risk.
By addressing noncompliant parts and updating guidelines, the NTSB hopes to boost safety across Boeing’s fleet.
The investigation continues, but these steps mark a proactive move toward preventing similar incidents.
Click the banner to subscribe to our weekly newsleter.
Click the photo to join our WhatsApp channel so then you can stay up to date with everything going on in the aviation industry!
