Washington
The U.S. aviation authority is inspecting oxygen masks on some 2,600 Boeing planes because they could slip off due to problems with the adhesive material. The flaw could affect the functionality of the technology, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned in an order issued Monday. There have been reports that the units containing oxygen masks have been moved.
Older and newer variants of the model are affected Boeing 737. The FAA cannot yet estimate how many machines will have the defect and need to be reworked. The oxygen generators and masks are installed above the seats.
Boeing has been under particularly intense pressure to improve safety oversight of production since a nearly new 737-9 Max plane released a fuselage fragment mid-climb earlier this year. No one was injured. In a stroke of luck, however, the seats next to the hole in the fuselage remained empty.
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