NTSB Chair Blasts FAA Over Response to Boeing 737 Rudder Issue

The head of the US National Transportation Safety Board criticized US aviation regulators for “downplaying the urgency” of addressing a possible rudder malfunction on some Boeing Co. 737 aircraft in an unusually public rebuke.

Faulty parts that could cause the 737’s rudder control system to jam may be in use by at least 40 non-US carriers, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a letter to the US Federal Aviation Administration’s top official on Monday. Information provided by Boeing in August suggests that 271 suspect components may be in use on aircraft operated by those overseas airlines, while 16 ...