US NTSB urges mandatory inspections of door latches on Boeing 757 airplanes

WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) -

U.S. regulators should require airlines to inspect, and if necessary, replace latches on Boeing 757 airplane doors, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday, citing a 2023 emergency evacuation of a FedEx ( FDX ) flight in Tennessee.

The NTSB also urged the Federal Aviation Administration to require Boeing 727 and 737 operators that use the same latch design to inspect and replace them if warranted. The agency said defective latches "could lead to delayed evacuation during an emergency should the slide become jammed." It also called on Boeing ( BA ) to issue new service bulletins for operators.

Boeing ( BA ) and FedEx ( FDX ) did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FAA said it takes NTSB recommendations seriously and will respond within an appropriate timeframe.

The October 2023 FedEx ( FDX ) flight -- a 757 built in 1988 -- received an engine indication and crew alerting system message indicating a failure of the left hydraulic system shortly after takeoff from Chattanooga and returned to the airport but was unable to lower the landing gear.

After multiple unsuccessful attempts to extend the gear, the crew performed an emergency gear up landing. After landing, a jumpseat occupant attempted to open the left door, which rotated halfway open but would not open fully, and the slide did not deploy.

The occupant then attempted to open the right door but it lodged on the slide pack, which prompted the occupant to use force to open the door and the slide deployed normally.

There were no injuries to flight crew members or the jumpseat occupant.

The NTSB found one door latch that releases the slide pack when the door opened did not conform to the configuration of the release cable assembly.

The NTSB said FedEx ( FDX ) inspected the doors on the 97 other

airplanes in its Boeing 757 fleet after the accident, finding 46 doors -- about 24% -- that were not compliant with airworthiness directives issued in 1986 and 2001.

After the findings, Boeing ( BA ) issued an April 2024 message to operators about the issue and a non-U.S. carrier said its inspection of four 757 doors found three doors with latches not in compliance, the NTSB said. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and David Gregorio)