US Issues Emergency Airworthiness Directive for Boeing 737 NGs, Classics in Storage - FAA

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to carry out additional inspections on any Boeing 737 NG and Classic aircraft kept in storage for more than a week after receiving four reports of engine shutdowns, an emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) said on Friday.

"This emergency AD was prompted by four recent reports of single-engine shutdowns due to engine bleed air 5th stage check valves being stuck open," the FAA said in the directive, which applies to any airplane that has not been operated for 7 or more consecutive days.

The directive covers Boeing Company models 737-300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes.

In March 2019, the FAA grounded the top-selling 737 MAX aircraft following two crashes within five months that killed 346 passengers and crew. Both crashes were blamed on a malfunctioning flight control system that forced planes into nosedives shortly after takeoff.