DGCA issues advisory to airlines on rudder system risk in Boeing 737 planes

Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday issued an advisory to Indian airlines operating Boeing 737 planes regarding the potential risk of a jammed rudder control system.

The move follows the recent probe report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that highlighted safety concerns involving Boeing 737 aircraft equipped with Collins Aerospace SVO-730 Rudder Rollout Guidance Actuators.

Against the backdrop of the potential risk of a jammed or restricted rudder control system, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued safety recommendations to Indian carriers.

Currently, Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet operate Boeing 737 planes. Together, they have nearly 100 such aircraft.

Air India Express operates 61 Boeing 737s, while Akasa Air has a fleet of 25 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

According to data available on planespotters.net, SpiceJet has 11 Boeing 737s in service.

In August, Boeing informed affected operators of 737 planes about the potential condition with the rudder rollout guidance actuator.

The rudder rollout guidance actuator helps align an airplane's rudder with its nose wheel during takeoff and landing. It ensures proper alignment and control during critical phases of flight.

"The advisory regarding the Boeing 737 rudder system is applicable to only five of the aircraft in our fleet. We have initiated the process of compliance in adherence to the regulatory requirements," an Air India Express spokesperson said.

A SpiceJet spokesperson said none of its Boeing 737 NG aircraft are impacted.

DGCA said all flight crews are to be informed through a circular/advisory regarding the possibility of a jammed or restricted rudder control system.

"Appropriate mitigations must be communicated to help crews identify and handle such a situation," it added.

Further, all operators have been asked to conduct a safety risk assessment for aircraft to evaluate and mitigate the risk associated with the rudder control system.

The regulator also said that all Category III B approach, landing, and rollout operations, including practice or actual autoland, must be discontinued for these planes until further notice. Category III B pertains to operations in low visibility conditions.

Among other measures, airlines have been asked to mandatorily include discussion about potential rudder control system issues as a mandatory topic in recurrent training sessions.

It will also be included in the Instrument Rating/Proficiency Checks (IR/PPC) during pre-simulator briefings.

"Operators have been instructed to include specific exercises in Recurrent Training and IR/PPC that simulate scenarios involving a jammed or restricted rudder control system, including rollout procedures.

"Appropriate flight crew responses and mitigations should be practised during these exercises," the regulator said in a release.

DGCA also said the interim measures aim to enhance safety and ensure that flight crews are well-prepared to handle potential rudder control issues effectively.

The rudder rollout guidance actuator is designed to control the rudder's movement during Category III B approach, landing and rollout operations.

On September 27, Boeing in a statement had said that in August, it had informed affected 737 operators of a potential condition with the rudder rollout guidance actuator, which is part of an option autoland system.

"The autoland system includes layers of redundancy and we are working with our supplier to develop additional guidance to address the potential condition," it had said.