DGCA, the Indian aviation regulator, issued a warning to Indian airlines flying Boeing 737 aircraft on Monday about the risk of a jammed rudder system. The move comes in response to a recent report by the US National Transportation Safety Board that highlighted safety concerns involving Boeing 737 aircraft equipped with Collins Aerospace’s SVO-730 Rudder Rollerout Guidance Aactuators.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, (DGCA), has issued safety advice to Indian carriers due to the potential risk of a jammed rudder control.
Currently, Air India Express and Akasa Air operate Boeing 737 aircraft. DGCA has said that all flight crews should be informed by a circular/advisory of the possibility of a jammed rudder system.
“Appropriate mitigating measures must be communicated, to help crews recognize and handle such a scenario,” it added.
Further, all operators were asked to conduct an aircraft safety risk assessment to evaluate and reduce the risk associated the rudder system.
The regulator also stated that all Category IIIB approach, landing, rollout, and autoland operations, including practice or real autoland for these planes, must be discontinued until further notice. Category III B is for operations in low visibility. Airlines have been asked, among other measures to include mandatory discussion about potential rudder system issues in recurrent sessions. This will also be covered in the Instrument Rating/Proficiency Checks during pre-simulation briefings.
Operators were instructed to include in their Recurrent Training, IR/PPC and IR/PPC specific exercises that simulate scenarios of a jammed rudder control system or restricted rudder controls. This includes rollout procedures.
The regulator said that during these exercises, “appropriate flight-crew responses and mitigations” should be practiced.
The DGCA stated that the interim steps are designed to enhance safety, and to ensure that flight crews have the necessary training to deal with potential rudder control problems effectively.
