A Boeing 737 Max 9 jet airliner performs its flight display at Le Bourget on June 20, 2017 during the International Paris Air Show. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing new mandatory inspections for some Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after discovering that bearings in the flight control system may have been installed incorrectly during production.
The proposed airworthiness directive covers certain Boeing 737 MAX 8, MAX 9 and 737-8200 aircraft. The FAA estimates 95 U.S.-registered aircraft would be affected.
The issue involves bearings in the elevator buss assembly, part of the system connecting the pilots’ control columns to the aircraft’s elevators.
The FAA said some bearings may have been installed incorrectly, including without required sealant. That could cause cracks in the bearings and their housings and eventually lead to premature failure of the elevator buss assembly crank arms.
If not corrected, the FAA said the problem “could impact elevator pitch control and affect continued safe flight and landing of the airplane.”
What The FAA Wants Airlines To Check
The proposed directive would require operators to conduct detailed inspections of the affected bearings and bearing housings.
Maintenance teams would check for cracks and determine whether sealant was properly applied.
Depending on what they find, operators could have to perform load tests, replace individual bearings, repair affected areas or replace the complete elevator buss assembly.
RENTON, WA – March 7: The first Boeing 737 MAX 9 airliner is pictured at the company’s factory on March 7, 2017 in Renton, Washington. The 737 MAX 9, which can carry up to 220 passengers, is the second of three variants of the popular single-aisle model. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
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The FAA based the proposed requirements on a Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin issued December 17, 2025. The agency said it determined that the unsafe condition “is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type design.”
If the FAA adopts the rule, the proposal would establish inspection and repair requirements for the specific aircraft Boeing identified.
Inspections Could Cost U.S. Airlines Around $186,000
The FAA estimates each inspection would require 23 work hours, costing approximately $1,955 per aircraft.
Across the 95 affected U.S.-registered aircraft, that puts the estimated inspection cost at $185,725.
Repairs could be considerably more expensive if inspectors find problems.
Replacing an individual bearing could cost between $1,105 and $1,809, depending on the component. Replacing an entire elevator buss assembly could cost about $98,496 per aircraft.
The FAA said it cannot determine how many aircraft will require repairs. Boeing may also cover some or all of the costs under warranty.
What Elevator Control Does
Elevators are movable surfaces on an aircraft’s horizontal tail that control pitch—whether the aircraft’s nose moves up or down.
Pilots command those movements through the control columns in the cockpit. The elevator buss assembly involved in the proposed directive is part of that mechanical control system and helps move the control columns.
The FAA’s warning about premature crank-arm failure does not mean an affected aircraft would automatically lose pitch control if one component failed. It only means the FAA considers the condition serious enough to warrant mandatory action.
FAA Directive Is Not Yet Final
The FAA published the proposal in the Federal Register on September 21. It is a notice of proposed rulemaking, not a final airworthiness directive. Airlines are therefore not yet subject to the new requirements based solely on this proposal.
The FAA will accept comments until November 5, 2026. It can modify the requirements after reviewing submissions before issuing a final rule.
The proposal covers only certain aircraft identified in Boeing’s December 2025 requirements bulletin, not every MAX 8, MAX 9 and 737-8200 in service.
Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are assembled at the Boeing Renton Factory in Renton, Washington, on June 25, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Buchanan / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JENNIFER BUCHANAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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The latest proposal follows several years of increased FAA scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing and quality-control processes. In 2024, the regulator required inspections and maintenance of 737 MAX 9 aircraft following the Alaska Airlines door-plug blowout. Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems also had to address incorrectly drilled holes in some 737 MAX fuselages.
The FAA subsequently capped Boeing’s 737 production while requiring the manufacturer to implement a comprehensive quality-improvement plan. The regulator has restored some of Boeing’s authority to issue airworthiness certificates, but only on a limited basis.
More FAA 737 MAX Directives This Year
The proposed inspections come as Boeing works toward certification of the larger MAX 10 and continues efforts to stabilize 737 production. If adopted, the latest directive would add another targeted inspection requirement for part of the existing MAX fleet.
The elevator inspection proposal follows other recent FAA action involving the 737 MAX. The regulator has ordered inspections of some MAX aircraft after cracks were reported around the forward galley door cutout, including the fuselage skin, structural bear straps and stub frames. The FAA has also proposed inspections after some passenger seats were found incorrectly installed in their seat tracks.
The FAA has also issued MAX directives that don’t require physical inspections. In February, the FAA issued an AD covering all 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200 aircraft after incidents in which excessive cabin and cockpit temperatures could not be controlled. It required new flight-manual procedures.
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