This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is issuing new safety recommendations for Boeing following an investigation into an underperforming slide during an emergency evacuation.
On October 4, 2023, a Boeing 757-236 had to make an emergency landing. While completing a flight for FedEx, the flight crew received a warning that their left hydraulic system was failing, urging them to turn back to the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport-Lovell Field (CHA).
When the landing gear wouldn’t lower, crews landed without it in an emergency.
After the plane came to a stop, the crew tried to evacuate — but the emergency exit slide at the front left door didn’t deploy. One of the crew members tried the right front door instead. That slide worked, but only after they forcibly yanked the door open. Although all passengers departed safely with no injuries, the flight was deemed an “accident,” as the plane sustained “substantial damage.”
After the emergency landing, FedEx inspected all Boeing 757 planes and discovered that 24% of their doors were not compliant with two Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Directives (AD), one of which aims at preventing slide packs from jamming doorways during an emergency, according to the NTSB.
Under closer inspection, NTSB found that the problem may have been tied to a specific aircraft latch that is intended to secure emergency slides to aircraft doors.
NTSB issues recommendations
Now, the NTSB is recommending that both Boeing and the FAA make some changes to their aircraft inspections, including:
- Require all Boeing 757 planes, as well as any plane that uses the same bannis latches, to be inspected and, if needed, modified or replaced. They are also recommending that Boeing issue a service bulletin with the aforementioned advisories.
- Require all airplane models that use this latch design to update maintenance manuals and illustrated parts catalogs to “ensure they consistently and accurately depict the correct configuration of the bannis latch assembly.”
The Chattanooga flight accident is still being investigated. Additional recommendations may be issued by NTSB as the investigation concludes.
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