The Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive calling for inspection of fuselage skins on certain Boeing 737 MAX 8, MAX 9 and MAX 8-200 jets, a total of 471 aircraft in service with U.S. carriers and 1,429 planes worldwide, the FAA estimated.

The directive covering the 737 MAX series jets is preemptive, involving a problem that has appeared on certain aircraft of the previous, 737 Next Generation series of aircraft but not on any 737 MAX jet currently in service.

The issue however is one traced to a manufacturing process that is replicated on the newer MAX series.

Specifically, the inspections are directed at a reinforcement structure called a “bear strap,” located on the right side of the fuselage above the forward galley door cutout: it’s in place to help redistribute stress around the door opening during each pressurization cycle.

Boeing reportedly is undertaking an engineering analysis of the defect that is targeted by the FAA’s directive, and working toward changes that should prevent future cracking.

"This issue has not been observed on the 737 MAX fleet, but Boeing extended the inspections to 737 MAX airplanes as the model shares a similar design and build process," a company spokesperson told CBS News.

Fuselages for 737 series jets are manufactured by Boeing at the former Spirit AeroSystems operation in Wichita, Kan. Boeing reacquired Spirit AeroSystems in 2025, in an effort to consolidate its manufacturing programs and resolve a pattern of manufacturing delays and range of structural defects that plagued its major aircraft programs.

Final assembly for the 737 takes place at Boeing plants in Renton, Wash., and now at a new assembly line in Everett, Wash.

Recently the FAA restored Boeing’s authority to issue airworthiness certificates at the end of production for all 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner aircraft, an important endorsement of the OEM’s manufacturing and safety oversight efforts.