Boeing Inspects 737 Max for Fuel-Tank Debris in New Setback
- Checks aren’t expected to delay Max’s commercial comeback
- New leader named to oversee Max’s return to service campaign
Forensic investigators comb the ground near a pile of airplane debris at the crash site of Ethiopian airways Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in 2019.
Photographer: Tony Karumbna/AFP via Getty Images
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Boeing Co. is inspecting more than 400 stored 737 Max jets after discovering debris such as tools or rags left in the fuel tanks of several newly built but undelivered aircraft.
The checks aren’t likely to create a new delay for the Max, which Boeing estimates will be cleared to fly by midyear, said a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named as the matter is confidential. The company has been working with regulators to recertify the 737 Max and end a grounding that began almost a year ago after two fatal accidents killed 346 people.