Boeing & the FAA are expected to unveil a series of initiatives Thursday to increase the safety of rudders on the company's popular 737 jetliners. The news conference will also include the results of a ``top-to-bottom'' review of the rudder system by a 22-member team of government and industry experts, according to an FAA statement.

That review was ordered by the NISB. The 737 rudder system came under close scrutiny after the crash of USAir Flight 427 near Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1994. All 132 people aboard died. The rudders were also studied after the 1991 crash of United Flight 585, which killed 25 people in Colorado Springs, Colo. The NTSB has said those crashes might have been caused by a problem with the rudder's valves, which caused the rudder to move in the opposite direction than the pilot's command.

The St. Petersburg Times reported today that Boeing & the FAA have agreed to a total redesign of the 737 rudder system, and would soon announce plans to replace the valve system in every one of the 3,200 737 jets now in service.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/busi...37-Rudder.html