The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration -FAA has issued an emergency airworthiness warning of possible corrosion on over 2,000 U.S.-registered Boeing 737 NG and Classic aircraft, that have been parked up and stored during the pandemic.
The warning of possible corrosion came from the FAA on Friday which could lead to a dual-engine failure. According to reports, some inspectors had found compromised air check valves when returning aircraft to service following a period of storage following four recent reports of single-engine shutdowns on aircraft that had been parked for seven or more days.
The 737's manufacturer, Boeing reported on Friday that it advised operators to inspect the aircraft, “with airplanes being stored or used infrequently due to lower demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, the valve can be more susceptible to corrosion.”
The point of the directive, the FAA said was to address corrosion of the engine bleed air 5th stage check valves for both engines. To avoid compressor stalls and dual-engine power loss without the ability to restart.
Alaska Airlines confirmed that one of its aircraft is likely one of the four incidents and was inspecting valves on all aircraft as they return to service.
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