Regional jets must now get their tail bolts checked more often

The US aviation regulator now requires repetitive checks for loose or missing bolts on the tail sections of certain regional jet models. This means mechanics will need to inspect the horizontal stabilizer anti-yaw steady fitting block bolts on these planes at regular intervals.

Loose bolts on an airplane's tail are a serious problem. This rule means that operators of these specific regional jets will have to add a new, mandatory inspection to their maintenance schedules. It shifts the burden of finding these defects from chance discovery to a scheduled, enforced check.