NCAA grounds Max Air’s B737Max aircraft over safety concerns

Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended all Boeing 737Max aircraft in the fleet of indigenous carrier, Max Air, with immediate effect.

The suspension followed four safety incidents involving the B737 aircraft in the fleet of the airline.

The B733 Max has remained controversial since its introduction into the Boeing range of aircraft following safety concerns raised by customers after several crashes involving the aircraft type in the fleets of Ethiopian Airlines and Indonesia’s Lion Air.

Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. 157 people died when it plunged into farmland outside the Ethiopian capital in March 2019.

The accident involved a new design of aircraft – the 737 Max.

Just months earlier, an almost identical aircraft operated by the Indonesian carrier Lion Air had crashed into the Java Sea on what should have been a routine flight from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang. 189 passengers and crew lost their lives.

It later emerged that both accidents were triggered by design flaws, in particular the use of flight control software known as MCAS.

The company, however, insists it was not guilty of concealing information about flight control systems on its 737 Max aircraft, which led to two crashes, killing 346 people.

The NCAA ban implies that Max Air will now suspend all domestic flights operated with the B733 Max aircraft. The airline also deploys the aircraft type for its hajj airlift operations.

The NCAA, in a letter with reference number, NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/363, dated 12th July, 2023 titled, ‘Suspension of parts A3 and D43 of the Operations Specifications Issued to Max Air with immediate effect,’ signed by the director of Operations, Training and Licensing, Capt. Ibrahim Bello Dambazau, on behalf of the director general of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, said the authority has constituted a team of inspectors to conduct an audit on Boeing 737 in the Max Air’s fleet.

“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) hereby suspends Parts A3 (Aircraft Authorization) and D43 (Aircraft Listing) of the Operations Specifications issued to Max Air Ltd. with regards to the operations of the Boeing B737 aircraft type in your fleet.

“With the above suspension, you are to immediately suspend the operations of all Boeing B737 aircraft in your fleet.

“The Authority’s action is due to the several occurrences that involved your Boeing B737 aircraft as listed hereunder:

“Loss of Number 1 Main Landing Gear (MLG) wheel during the serious incident involving a Boeing 737-400 aircraft, registration marks 5N-MBDwhich occurred between Take-off at Yola Airport Adamawa State and onlanding at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja Nigeria on 7th May, 2023.

“Fuel Contamination of the main fuel tanks of aircraft B737-300, Registration Marks; 5N-MHM, leading to the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) shutdown on ground Yola Airport on the 7th of July, 2023.

“Aborted take-off of Boeing 737-400 aircraft, registration marks 5N-MBD, which occurred at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) due to high Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) indication on the 11th of July, 2023.”

“An air return by aircraft B737-300, Registration Marks; 5N-MHM to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) due to duct overheat indication in the cockpit on the 11th of July, 2023.”

“The authority has constituted a team of inspectors to conduct an audit of your organization. The result of this audit, it said, must be found satisfactory by the Authority prior to considering the restoration of the privileges of the operations Specifications to your organisation to further operate the aircraft type,” the letter read.