The Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive Monday requiring replacement of defective attachment pins in the horizontal tails of more than 1,000 Boeing 737s flying in the U.S.
The directive requires airlines to inspect the pins that connect the rear spar of the jet’s horizontal tail to the fuselage, and to replace all pins that came from a Boeing supplier during a two-year period.
The FAA said an incorrect procedure was used by the supplier to apply a surface coating to the pins to protect against wear and corrosion.
Pilots adjust moveable panels on the horizontal tail — or horizontal stabilizer, as it is called in the industry — to push the jet’s nose up or down.
No accidents have been attributed to the defect.
