The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a new airworthiness directive requiring inspections of passenger seat installations on 453 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after discovering that some seat assemblies may not have been correctly secured to the cabin floor tracks.
The proposal applies to certain 737 MAX 8, MAX 9 and MAX 8200 aircraft. It is not an emergency safety directive and does not ground any aircraft. Instead, the FAA has opened a public comment period through Sept. 10 before deciding whether to issue a final airworthiness directive.
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July 23, 2026
According to the agency, the problem involves the aft fitting shear plungers, which may not have been fully lowered and engaged in the seat tracks during installation. A seat assembly installed in that condition could disengage if subjected to high loads, severe turbulence or an emergency landing.
The FAA warned that a detached passenger seat could injure occupants during an emergency landing or block the aisle, delaying the evacuation of the aircraft.
The proposed directive follows Boeing Special Attention Requirements Bulletin 737-25-1927 RB, issued in December 2025 after the manufacturer identified the installation issue.
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If the directive is adopted, airlines would have to inspect every track-mounted passenger seat assembly on affected aircraft and correct any improperly installed fittings. The FAA estimates that each airplane may have as many as 69 seat assemblies requiring inspection.
The agency estimates the inspection would take about one hour per seat assembly at a labor cost of US$85. Corrective work, if required, would add another hour of labor per affected seat. Boeing told the FAA that some or all of the costs may be covered under warranty.
The FAA said it determined the condition is likely to exist or develop on other aircraft of the same design, prompting the proposed rulemaking rather than action limited to individual airplanes.
