Boeing has been under heightened scrutiny since January 2024, when a panel on a fuselage of an Alaska Airlines flight blew out
AFP

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that it would adopt a new airworthiness directive for 13 U.S.-registered airplanes after reports of "cracking" in the area surrounding the lavatory service panel surfaced. The 13 planes are Boeing 757-200 models.

According to the FAA, there was a high stress concentration in the access panel of the lavatory service panel, the stringer 22 attachment, and the fuselage skin, all of which resulted in "fatigue cracking."

The FAA further added that such an issue, if not addressed properly, could diminish the structural integrity of the airplane and lead to in-flight depressurization, Reuters reported.

The FAA noted that the new airworthiness directives, which are legally enforceable regulations issued by the agency to correct unsafe product conditions, would impact the 757-200 planes that were modified by supplemental type certificates.