Airplanes are high-tech machines. But something as small as faulty adhesive material can cause problems – as is now the case with Boeing in the USA.
The US aviation authority is having the oxygen masks in over 2,600 Boeing aircraft checked because they can slip due to problems with the adhesive material. The error could affect the functionality of the technology, warned the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in an order published on Monday. There have been several reports that the units with oxygen masks have shifted.
Older and newer versions of the Boeing 737 model are affected. The FAA is not yet able to estimate how many aircraft will have the defect and require rework. The oxygen generators and masks are installed above the seats.
Boeing has been under particularly strong pressure to improve safety oversight in production since a fuselage fragment came loose from a brand-new 737-9 Max aircraft in the middle of a climb earlier this year. No one was injured. However, the seats next to the hole in the fuselage were also empty by a lucky coincidence.
Source: Stern
