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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a proposed airworthiness directive (AD) to address the issue of uncommanded slide deployments on Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) and 737 MAX aircraft. This new proposal expands the scope of aircraft affected by a previous directive issued in May 2023 addressing similar concerns.
The initial directive focused on the escape slide assemblies of various Boeing 737 models, warning that an unsafe condition might exist on additional aircraft. The FAA noted that although a final rule was published on May 25, 2023, more aircraft, including the 737 MAX 8-200, might have the affected slide assemblies as these parts could be installed on different aircraft than originally intended.
The directive issued in May 2023 was a response to reports of uncommanded escape slide deployments due to excessive tension in the inflation cable and movement of the slide assembly. Upholding safety standards, the FAA stated, “The FAA is issuing this AD to address inflation of the escape slide while it is in the escape slide compartment, which could result in injury to passengers and crew during normal operation, or impede an emergency evacuation by rendering the exit unusable.”
