Aviation authorities have ordered safety checks on 160 Boeing 737 airliners flying on the mainland because of potential problems with their elevator controls.
The General Administration of Civil Aviation said on its website yesterday that some 737 models needed to have their tail's elevator control mechanisms examined.
Liu Jiangtao, an aircraft maintenance technician with China Southern Airlines, said that if the bearing under the elevator control mechanism loosened, unexpected vibration could make it hard to control the aircraft and affect its structural integrity.
The administration statement clarified a media report earlier yesterday that said safety hazards had been identified in 400 Boeing 737s on the mainland following the discovery by the US Federal Aviation Administration of extensive damage in the left elevator of a B737-800 operated by Irish budget airline Ryanair on March 2. The FAA ordered inspections for 600 B737 aircraft in the United States last Friday.
Boeing China's communications director, Wang Yukui, said Boeing issued an all-operator message last Wednesday advising operators to inspect the elevator tab control mechanism on 'next-generation' 737s.
The civil aviation administration said yesterday that it issued the same directive on Monday.
According to baidu.com, there are more than 600 Boeing 737s in operation on the mainland, so the administration's examination order covers roughly a quarter of the them.
