Regulators Order Boeing 757 Winglet Checks
By Sam Broderick
Operators of Boeing 757s with a certain type of Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) winglets are inspecting the assemblies for cracks following reports of five aircraft with issues and quick action by the supplier and regulators to develop an inspection plan.
The FAA issued an immediately effective airworthiness directive (AD) on Feb. 26, giving operators five days to conduct high frequency eddy current inspections of scimitar blended winglets (SBWs). The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) adopted the FAA’s directive Feb. 27.
“The FAA has received a report indicating a crack finding on a Boeing Model 757-200 airplane with scimitar blended winglets (SBW) while undergoing a heavy maintenance check,” the U.S. agency said in its AD preamble. “The crack was located in the inspar outer lower wing skin area in the periphery of access panel 543BB”—a machined skin panel installed as part of APB’s winglet modification.
The panel does not have a mandatory maintenance inspection, the FAA said. APB quickly developed a recommended inspection and alerted affected operators in a Feb. 4 alert service bulletin. The bulletin recommended conducting the checks within 30 days.
But reports of more cracks soon flowed in, prompting the FAA to shorten the recommended inspection deadline to five days. In all, five aircraft have been found with the cracks, the FAA said.
The FAA directive affects 156 U.S.-registered 757s. Aviation Week Fleet Discovery shows 265 757s with winglets, including 23 in storage, but not all of these have the upgraded SBW variant targeted for inspections.
Launched in 2015 with an order from United Airlines, the SBW replaces APB’s standard aluminum blended winglet tip with a scimitar-shaped tip cap. The FAA and EASA awarded supplemental type certificates for 757 SBWs in 2016.
