Flight safety: 737 Max testing is vital
Safety checks on 39 of the 40 Boeing 737 Max aircraft being flown in India have revealed a “missing washer" in one, according to the country’s aviation regulator. All the rest were found to be in order, while the inspection of one plane was still underway. Needless to say, rectification measures have been taken.
It is reassuring that the authorities have responded promptly to bad news on this particular Boeing model. Fliers in the US had a scare last week when an emergency door of an Alaska Airlines plane blew off mid-air. Subsequent inspections of the model worldwide have found faults.
Given that the 737 Max has had such a chequered safety record, and with a Netflix documentary on Boeing portraying it as a slapdash job, an eye for detail is critical in checking the air-worthiness of every unit. As aviation history is replete with examples of faults in otherwise minor-sounding parts causing major disasters, nothing can be left to chance. Ever since the US space shuttle Challenger blew up after lift-off on account of a failure traced to a small circular gasket called an O-ring, even washers are taken seriously.
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