Address Noncompliant Evacuation Slide Components on Boeing Airplanes

We are providing the following information to urge Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take action on the safety recommendations in this report addressing the failure of an evacuation slide to deploy normally during an emergency evacuation. We identified this issue during our ongoing investigation of an emergency landing involving FedEx flight 1376, a Boeing 757-236, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The NTSB is issuing three safety recommendations to Boeing and four safety recommendations to the FAA.

Additional actions may be recommended as the investigation proceeds.

​​Unairworthy bannis latches that don’t comply with Airworthiness Directives 86-09-09 and 2001-15-01 may be installed on other in-service Boeing 757-200, -200CB, and -300 series airplanes, which could lead to delayed evacuation during an emergency should the slide become jammed.

Because the same bannis latch design used on certain Boeing 757 airplanes (757-200, -200CB, and -300 series) is also used on Boeing 727 and 737 airplanes, these airplane models could also have bannis latches installed that are not the correct configuration.

Ensuring operators’ maintenance documentation contains consistent, accurate depictions of the correct configuration of the bannis latch assembly would help prevent the use of noncompliant components that could lead to delayed evacuation during an emergency should the slide become jammed.​​

​​To the Federal Aviation Administration:​

• Require all Boeing 757 operators to inspect the bannis latches on Boeing 757-200, -200CB, and -300 series airplane doors and, if necessary, modify or replace them so they comply with the correct configuration. (A-25-3) 
• Require all operators of Boeing 727 and 737 airplane models that use the same bannis latch design as Boeing 757 airplanes (757-200, -200CB, and -300 series) to inspect and, if necessary, modify or replace the bannis latches as advised in the Boeing service bulletin recommended in Safety Recommendation A-25-8. (A-25-4)
• Require all Boeing 757 operators to update their Boeing 757-200, -200CB, and -300 series airplane aircraft maintenance manuals (AMM) in accordance with the revised Boeing AMM and illustrated parts catalogs. (A-25-5)
• Require all operators of Boeing 727 and 737 airplane models that use the same bannis latch design as Boeing 757 airplanes (757-200, -200CB, and -300 series) to update their aircraft maintenance manuals (AMM) in accordance with the revised Boeing AMMs and illustrated parts catalogs recommended in Safety Recommendation A-25-9. (A-25-6)

To Boeing:

• Once the Boeing 757 aircraft maintenance manual and illustrated parts catalog are updated to provide a consistent and accurate depiction of the bannis latch assembly, issue a service bulletin advising Boeing 757 operators to inspect and, if necessary, modify or replace the bannis latches on Boeing 757-200, -200CB, and -300 series airplane with the correct configuration. (A-25-7)
• Issue a service bulletin advising operators of Boeing 727 and 737 airplanes that use the same bannis latch design as Boeing 757 airplanes (757-200, -200CB, and -300 series) to inspect those airplanes and, if necessary, modify or replace the bannis latches with the correct configuration. (A-25-8)
• Review all pertinent aircraft maintenance manuals and illustrated parts catalogs for Boeing 727 and 737 model airplanes that use the same bannis latch design as Boeing 757 airplanes (757-200, -200CB, and -300 series) to ensure they consistently and accurately depict the correct configuration of the bannis latch assembly for those Boeing airplane models, revise these manuals as needed, and notify affected operators about the manual revisions. (A-25-9)