The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has suspended all Boeing 737 aircrafts in the fleet Max Air following a number of concerning flight incidents.
The agency, in a letter dated July 12, 2023, suspended parts A3 and D43 of the operations specifications issued to the airline pending investigations by a team of inspectors.
The team will conduct an audit on Max Air’s Boeing 737 aircraft fleet which has been involved in a number of incidents especially since May.
“With the above suspension, you are to immediately suspend the operations of all Boeing B737 aircrafts in your fleet,” the letter noted.
The NCAA noted that the audit must satisfy its inspectors before the suspension is lifted.
In its letter, the NCAA listed a series of incidents that resulted in its decision to take a closer look at Max Air’s fleet.
One of such incidents was an aircraft’s loss of a main landing gear wheel during take-off at the Yola Airport in Adamawa State and on landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on May 7.
The same Boeing 737-400 aircraft aborted a take-off at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport due to high exhaust gas temperature indication on July 11.
The airline’s aircraft B737-300 also recorded an incident of fuel contamination of its main fuel tanks, an incident that led to the auxilliary power unit shutdown on ground at the Yola Airport on July 7.
The same aircraft recorded a duct overheat indication in the cockpit during a July 11 flight.
