Emergency escape slide from jumbo jet falls from plane and hits Mesa home

Thanks for the info cm. I wonder if, after the deployment and tear away, that inboard spoiler stayed stowed on landing. Not a big issue though. Just curious how the system works.

Yes, Boeing issued a repair order a few years ago.

By
Andy Pasztor

Updated Dec. 31, 2015 7:34 p.m. ET


Federal aviation regulators are proposing safety fixes for more than 300 Boeing 767 jetliners to prevent the unexpected deployment of emergency escape slides.

The preliminary Federal Aviation Administration directive, which would apply directly only to Boeing 767s operated by U.S. carriers, was prompted by what the agency described as “multiple reports of uncommanded escape slide inflation.” Foreign carriers flying hundreds of other 767s eventually would be expected to comply with the FAA’s final mandate.

The agency apparently doesn’t view the problem as posing an imminent hazard, because it envisions giving some airlines nearly four years to make the fixes.

The FAA’s proposal is unusual because it concerns slides possibly opening during normal operations, not problems with deployment during emergencies.

The agency typically has ordered airlines to address suspect slides because they may have a propensity to deploy improperly or fail to deploy altogether in emergency situations. There have been numerous such mandates over the past 15 years affecting aircraft from Boeing Co. as well as other plane makers.