FAA Issues New Safety Directive for Boeing 747 Cockpit Seats
The FAA issues a new airworthiness directive for Boeing 747 crew seats, correcting an error in a previous directive.
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new, immediately effective final rule, Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2025-15-07, which supersedes a previous regulation and affects the entire Boeing 747 family of aircraft. The measure, effective August 13, 2025, aims to correct an error in the prior directive that could allow operators to skip critical safety inspections on the Captain's and First Officer's seats.
The underlying safety issue, identified in previous reports, is the "uncommanded fore and aft movement" of the flight crew seats. The FAA starkly describes the severity of the risk in the official document, published in the Federal Register. The agency states the unsafe condition, if not addressed, "could result in an uncommanded fore or aft seat movement during a critical part of a flight, such as takeoff or landing, and could cause a flight control obstruction or unintended flight control input, which could result in the loss of the ability to control the airplane."
The new directive replaces AD 2025-01-08, issued in February 2025. The FAA determined that this directive contained an error in its paragraph (j), which "inadvertently provided credit" for compliance with required actions without ensuring all necessary checks were completed, depending on the specific seat configuration and applied service bulletins. AD 2025-15-07 clarifies these conditions to close any safety loopholes.
FAQ on the Boeing 747 AD
What is the problem with the Boeing 747 seats? They can move forward or backward without pilot command, creating a serious safety risk.
Which 747 models are affected? All of them, including the 747-200, -300, -400, and -8 series, in both passenger and freighter versions.
What must airlines do? They must identify the part number of the seats, perform a one-time detailed inspection and repetitive checks of the Horizontal Movement System (HMS), and carry out necessary repairs, which may include clearing debris or replacing components.
Why was a new directive issued? To correct an error in the previous directive that could have allowed operators to bypass mandatory inspections under certain conditions.
Operators are required to comply with the actions specified in Boeing's Special Attention Service Bulletins 747-25-3644 and 747-25-3653, both at Revision 2. The actions include identifying the part numbers of the installed Ipeco seats, a one-time detailed inspection, and repetitive checks of the Horizontal Movement System (HMS). On-condition actions can range from clearing foreign object debris (FOD) from the seat tracks to overhauling the system or replacing the horizontal actuator.
The affected fleet under U.S. registry is 162 aircraft. The FAA has estimated the costs for operators. Seat identification is estimated at $85 per unit, while the detailed HMS inspection also costs $85. Repetitive checks are estimated at $170 per cycle. However, corrective actions are more expensive: replacing a horizontal actuator can cost up to $8,022 per actuator, and an HMS overhaul can cost up to $6,759.
Although many passenger Boeing 747s are no longer in service, a large freighter fleet, primarily the 747-400F and 747-8F models, remains a cornerstone of global logistics for airlines such as Atlas Air, Cargolux, and UPS, making this safety directive of critical importance to the air cargo industry.
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