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Boeing 737-300 of the Romanian airline Tarom
Photo: Markus Mainka / imago images / CHROMORANGE
The US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has to inspect older type 737 aircraft.
That is what the US aviation authority FAA ordered.
Boeing 737s of the generations 300, 400 and 500 are affected, as the FAA confirmed to SPIEGEL;
around 143 aircraft registered in the USA and around 1041 aircraft worldwide have to be checked.
Airlines are said to now ensure that the cables of certain security sensors are properly connected.
The components to be examined play a role in the automatic thrust control.
The background is the crash of a Boeing 737-500 of the airline Sriwijaya Air in Indonesia.
On January 9th, 62 people were killed.
The cause of the crash is not yet clear
Indonesian investigators had found evidence of a technical defect in the accident machine after the crash.
According to an interim report by the investigators, the aircraft's automatic thrust control had an "anomaly".
So far, however, the investigators have not been able to clarify what was ultimately the cause of the crash.
According to the FAA, it has not been proven whether the mechanisms to be checked played a role in the crash.
However, defective cable connections represented a potential risk. The problem was discovered in the course of investigating the accident.
"Boeing is working to ensure that our aircraft are safe and meet all requirements," said the company.
"We are in constant contact with our customers and the FAA and are constantly working to improve the safety and performance of our entire fleet."
nis / AFP / Reuters