Russian Aviation Panel Seeks To Ground B737s
A Russian aviation panel this week said it’s suspending certification of Boeing 737s operated by the country’s airlines due to safety concerns. In a baffling declaration to the FAA and Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, the Interstate Aviation Committee said it wants official notice “supporting their safe operation” related to “urgent improvements of Boeing-737 aircraft rudder control system.”

A Russian aviation panel this week said it's suspending certification of Boeing 737s operated by the country's airlines due to safety concerns.In a vaguely wordeddeclaration to the FAA and Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, the Interstate Aviation Committee said it wants official notice "supporting their safe operation" related to "urgent improvements of Boeing-737 aircraft rudder control system," Russian news agency Tass reported. About 190 B737s operating in the country will continue to fly until further notice, and the IAC's move was questioned by the Federal Air Transport Agency, which said the committee lacks the authority to ground airliners, some of which are registered in other nations, according to Tass.
The reason for the IAC's declaration isn't clear, but there's speculation that it's tied to the crash of a Tatarstan Airlines B737 two years ago, which killed all 50 people on board, according to a Seattle Times report. The news also surprised Boeing. "We're looking into it," a company spokesman told the Times. The IAC includes the Russian Federation and eleven republics, overseeing airspace, certification and accident investigations. Rudder control issues have been noted as possible factors in 737 accidents and incidentsin past years,including a United Airlines crash in 1991, when the jet entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed near the Colorado Springs Airport. The NTSB's report (PDF) included discussions of rudder malfunctions.
