Boeing 757s with certain winglets must now be checked for cracks
What happened
US aviation regulators want airlines to inspect a specific part of some Boeing 757 airplanes. This is because cracks were found on a plane equipped with a certain type of winglet, which could make the plane unsafe.
Why it matters
Airlines operating these specific Boeing 757 models will now have to add new inspections to their maintenance schedules. This means more downtime for these planes and added costs for operators, but it also means a specific safety risk is being addressed before it causes a major incident. The FAA is acting on a known problem rather than waiting for a failure.
The signal
Watch for how many airlines report finding cracks during these new inspections, and whether the FAA expands the directive to other Boeing models or winglet types.