Originally Posted by
Sailvi767
Not really, cracks occur in virtually every airframe built. They are expected over time and addressed through inspection and repair. This would not even have made the news at all were it not for the max issues.
The original article indicates that this is not a benign issue, unless you believe the reports to be factually incorrect:
During a recent inspection, workers found a severely cracked pickle fork on a Boeing 737NG. The plane is relatively young, having logged approximately 35,000 flight cycles when the damage was found.
A retired Boeing engineer who asked to remain anonymous tells us, "It's unusual to have a crack in the pickle fork. It's not designed to crack that way at all. Period."
He says it's particularly concerning because it was found so early in the plane's service.
Another source tells us Boeing quickly reported the issue with the single plane to the FAA last week, and now more planes with similar cracking have been found.