Address concerns over rudder control system: DGCA issues advisory to airlines operating Boeing 737 aircraft

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an advisory to all airlines operating the Boeing 737 aircraft and instructed them to address concerns raised in a United States (US) investigation report over the 'potential risk' of a malfunction of the 'rudder control system'. The rudder system controls the flight on vertical axis.

The civil aviation regulator's safety recommendations come in light of a US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Aviation Investigation Report that highlighted safety concerns in Boeing 737 aircraft equipped with a certain type of rudder control system.

DGCA's advisory cited the US aviation report on 'Collins Aerospace SVO-730 Rudder Rollout Guidance Actuators' that showed a 'potential risk' of jamming, and asked airlines to convey measures to help crews handle such a situation.

"Until further notice, such aircraft will not be undertaking 'Category III B' landing or operations," said DGCA officials. "A 'Category III B' approach is a precision landing with a decision height lower than 50 feet and a runway visibility between 700 and 150 feet," explained a DGCA official.