FAA orders inspections of nearly 500 Boeing jets for possible cracks

Hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX jets were ordered to undergo inspections as the Federal Aviation Administration warned of possible cracks.

The directive comes after the agency said it discovered cracks in a structural support around a service door on older Boeing models. It applies to 471 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft registered in the U.S., including the 737-8, 737-9, and 737-8200 models.

Regulators are asking airlines to check a support piece, known as a bear strap, located near the front service door by the galley.

“The airworthiness directive requires visual inspections of the fuselage skin for cracks and make repairs as needed,” the FAA told The Independent in a statement, noting that it proposed new safety rules in November 2025 related to the issue.

“The compliance times vary between 3,000 to 30,000 flight cycles. The AD affects approximately 471 U.S.-registered airplanes and 1,429 airplanes worldwide,” the statement continued.

The FAA's latest is less than a month after the agency restored Boeing's authority to perform final safety sign-offs, a responsibility it lost after the 737 MAX crisis. After two fatal crashes killed 346 people and grounded the aircraft worldwide, the agency revoked Boeing's authority to perform final safety approvals on new 737 jets in 2019, requiring FAA inspectors to approve planes before delivery.

The agency began loosening those restrictions last year, letting Boeing once again handle some of the certifications required before new planes can be delivered to airlines.

The FAA said the latest inspections are intended to detect any cracking before it reaches a critical stage. Boeing said it has been working with airlines to address the issue since first identifying it six years ago.

“This issue has not been observed on the 737 MAX fleet, but Boeing extended the inspections to 737 MAX airplanes as the model shares a similar design and build process,” a spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.

The Independent has contacted Boeing for comment.

The latest inspections mark the latest in high-profile safety concerns for Boeing. In July, a window on an older 737 model came loose during a flight in Greece, causing a passenger to be partially pulled out of the aircraft. The 61-year-old man survived with neck and shoulder injuries, and the pilots safely diverted the plane.

Also last month, the FAA ordered inspections of hundreds of 737 MAX jets after discovering improperly installed seats.

Meanwhile, Boeing ramped up 737 MAX production, opening a new assembly line in Everett, Washington, as it works to increase monthly output from 42 to 47 planes.

Despite efforts to increase output, Boeing reported a larger-than-expected second-quarter loss in 2026, hurt by cost overruns on the delayed Air Force One program and expenses tied to expanding aircraft production.

Boeing said speeding up work on the modified 747-8 jets that will eventually become Air Force One will add another $280 million to the project’s cost. The expense is the latest in a series of cost overruns on the more than $4 billion program.

Boeing’s commercial airplane division also lost money during the quarter, though the loss was smaller than it was a year earlier. The company spent more on increasing production as it works to deliver thousands of backlogged planes to customers.