FedEx 757 accident prompts NTSB call for door latch inspections

The NTSB’s investigation revealed that the R1 door’s bannis latch, which releases the slide pack, did not conform to required modifications specified by the FAA. The airworthiness directive mandated changes to prevent slide packs from jamming doorways during emergencies.

The aircraft’s R1 bannis latch had only one link instead of the required three and lacked other necessary hardware, investigators stated.

Following the incident, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) inspected its entire Boeing 757 fleet and found that about 24% of doors were not compliant with either AD 86-09-09 or a subsequent directive, AD 2001-15-01. These findings prompted Boeing to issue a multioperator message alerting other airlines to the potential issue.

The NTSB’s review of Boeing and FedEx maintenance manuals found inconsistent depictions of the correct bannis latch configuration, which could lead to confusion among maintenance personnel and the potential installation of nonconforming components.

Based on these findings, the NTSB has issued several recommendations, including:

• Boeing should issue a service bulletin advising 757 operators to inspect and, if necessary, modify or replace bannis latches to ensure correct configuration.
• The FAA should require all Boeing 757 operators to conduct these inspections and modifications.
• Similar recommendations were made for Boeing 737 models that use the same bannis latch design, including newer variants such as the -700 and -800.
• Boeing should review and revise maintenance manuals to ensure consistent and accurate depiction of the correct bannis latch assembly for affected aircraft models.
• The FAA should require operators to update their maintenance manuals accordingly.

The Chattanooga gear-up landing remains under investigation. While the aircraft suffered damages, no injuries were reported following the accident.

(This article is republished from Airline Geeks)