Dutch Roll drama: Southwest Airlines’ Boeing 737 Max damage incident

PHOENIX: A Southwest Airlines’ Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft experienced serious damage during a flight caused by an uncommon aircraft maneuver called a “Dutch roll”.

This happened while the plane, Flight 746, was en route from Phoenix to Oakland, flying at around 34,000 feet above sea level.

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During the flight, the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft sustained significant damage to its tail section, specifically to the rudder’s standby power control unit (PCU). The Dutch roll is a type of back-and-forth movement that can stress the airplane structure and cause serious damage.

Despite the significant damage sustained by the aircraft’s tail section, the flight from Phoenix to Oakland was able to safely reach its destination. No passengers or crew members were injured as a result of the incident. The damage was identified during a post-flight inspection conducted after the plane landed.

The standby power control unit (PCU) for the rudder, which was damaged, serves as a critical backup system. It is designed to take over control of the rudder in case the primary power unit fails.

Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launchpad an investigation with the goal of identifying what caused the Dutch roll maneuver during the flight. The investigation will uncover any underlying issues or factors that contributed to the incident.

The FAA also intend to recommend safety measures based on their findings. These measures are designed to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future. Their objective is to mitigate potential risks associated with such maneuvers, thereby ensuring the safety of passengers, crew members, and aircraft operations.

The aircraft was subsequently sent back to Boeing for assessment and repairs a week after the incident. Southwest Airlines and Boeing have opted not to comment directly on the incident but have referred inquiries to the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The two agencies are currently conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the Dutch roll and any necessary safety measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

In response to inquiries, the FAA disclosed that the NTSB has already obtained and analysed data from the airplane’s digital flight data recorder, important for determining the severity and duration of the event. However, the cockpit voice recorder, limited to two hours of audio, had been overwritten and was unavailable for investigation.

A preliminary report on the incident is expected within the next 30 days.

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A Dutch roll is a flight maneuver where an aircraft “rolls” (tilts from side to side around its longitudinal axis) and “yaws” (swings left and right around its vertical axis) at the same time. It happens when the plane’s rolling (tilting) and yawing (swinging) movements are out of balance.

These maneuvers are uncommon in commercial flights but can strain the aircraft structure, causing damage, as seen in this incident involving the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8.