FAA Proposes Airworthiness Directive Over Boeing 757 Frame Cracks

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing 757-200, 757-200CB, and 757-300 airplanes, after receiving reports of airframe cracks on the wings during maintenance. The proposed AD would require operators of US-registered 757s to perform inspections or maintenance records checks for existing liner holes at certain stringers, and take corrective actions or operating limitations if needed.

Stringers are structures that run along the wings internally, holding frames together and assisting in carrying the load along the wing, thereby reducing the concentration of stress experienced. The cracks were found surrounding the liner holes between stringers within the wings, and were caused by unplugged liner holes, which create concentrated stress around the area. If not rectified, this could lead to further cracks.

The FAA published the proposed AD in the Federal Register on July 21, 2023, and invited comments from the public until September 5, 2023. The proposed AD was prompted by a service alert issued by Boeing, which requires operators to perform repetitive surface high-frequency eddy current inspections to detect any possible cracks and repair them if needed.

This is not the first time the FAA has addressed potential cracks in the same areas of 757 aircraft. In 2018 and 2020, the FAA had issued actions to be taken to address similar issues. However, considering that Boeing ended the production of the type in 2003, the youngest of the type would now be around 20 years old. Some of the aircraft that reported cracks had clocked up more than 30,000 flight cycles and 90,000 flight hours.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, msn.com, federalregister.gov, simpleflying.com