Several screws were noticed to be loose during an Air China flight.

Aboard an Air China Boeing 737 traveling from Beijing to Hengyang, a passenger noticed and recorded an issue with the left-wing flap, which appeared to be missing one screw, and the other screws appeared loose. The video later went viral bringing the matter to the airlines' attention. The airline addressed the public assuring that the part had been repaired and all other 737 aircraft in the fleet had also been inspected for the same problem.

On July 7th, 2022, Air China flight number CA-1921, departed Beijing with service to Hengyang, China. Sometime during the flight, a passenger noticed through the window, several discrepancies along a portion of the left-wing flap. The passenger recorded this incident and posted it online. The video quickly went viral and captured the attention of Air China. No reports have currently been given on whether the flight crew was notified by passengers during or post-flight.

In the video, several screws can be seen floating freely in their holes towards the trailing edge of the left-wing flap. One of the screws, the one furthest from the fuselage is completely absent at the time of recording. The flight continued to its destination and landed safely without any further complications.

Once the airline was aware of the issue and the massive attention it had received, the airline released a response. It said,

"Air China attached great importance to the loose screws in the inboard canoe fairing of the left flap of Air China flight CA1921 shared on the internet, and immediately inspected the relevant parts of the aircraft, repaired the loose screws, and checked the relevant fleet,”

No damage was found to the flap or any other part of the aircraft because of this incident. The result was a simple fix followed by an inspection of all aircraft sharing the same type. Which would include all 737 aircraft in the fleet.

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The specific part of the flap in question is commonly known as an inboard canoe. When flaps are used during flight, lift increases. Simultaneously drag is also increased. These inboard canoes serve to redirect airflow to help reduce the drag without reducing lift. The screws seen in the video are a part of what holds the tail end of this canoe in place.

Per regulation, up to two of these screws may be missing for the flight to resume safely. However, it is still important that this part is kept intact. While the structure of the aircraft does not directly rely on the inboard canoes, aircraft performance standards are all written under the presumption that they are all in-tact. If even a part of the canoe was damaged or lost, the flight performance would be affected to some degree.

These canoes undergo extreme force in flight as well as intense vibrations. This is most likely the cause of the missing and loose screws. No official statement has been made regarding the cause of this problem.

An Air China 737 en-route from Beijing to Hengyang experienced a screw failure in the left-wing flap. The flight continued to its destination safely. The airline claims to have fixed this issue and thoroughly examined all other similar aircraft in the fleet.

Have you ever noticed a broken part on an aircraft? Let us know in the comments below.