FAA, Boeing find more flaws on planes

More than 300 Boeing 737 airliners might have parts susceptible to premature damage, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement Sunday. The specific parts affected were slat tracks, which “guide the slats located on the leading edge of an airplane’s wings,” according to Boeing. The company identified 20 737 NG and 21 737 Max aircraft that were most likely to have the faulty parts while recommending that airlines inspect another 271 planes.

The parts were not properly manufactured and could potentially fail or crack prematurely, according to the FAA, which said that while the failure of a slat track would not destroy the airplane on its own, it could still lead to “aircraft damage in flight.”

The 737 Max has been grounded around the world since March, after two crashes in the span of five months killed more than 300 passengers and crew. Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed in October 2018 and March 2019, respectively.