Brace for inspections: New AD clouds future of the Boeing 717

Why difficult? Boeing still makes them.

Southern Airways Flight 242 (a DC-9 by any other name is still a DC-9).

The investigation showed that the cracks started at tool marks, as in hit with a hammer, on the lock link. Poor installation practices led to this.

The linked article mentioned it costing $20,000 to replace the part on top of the $50,000 inspection. It'll still be faster and cheaper to replace the part than to find new aircraft ready to fly today. Future inspections aren't required if the part is replaced and the replacement part should last the reamining life of the aircraft.

Delta has received all its A220-100 orders but is still waiting for 64 of its 100 A220-300. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027. The A220 series has been suffering from engine availability, and the 717 can fill the gap for out of commission A220-100. That also lets Delta prioritize available engines for the -300.

It's going to take Pratt & Whitney two to three years to get caught up on the A220 engine backlog of repairs.

On the short 717 routes the planes spend less total time in the air so the fuel efficiency of the A220-100 replacement is less significant. Running the older plane still costs more, but less so than on longer routes. Dleta doesn't need to be in a hurry to stop flying the 717.

Put together, I bet Delta will replace the part on the 717s not too close to their next D checks and they'll likely fly them for a few more years.

True the 717 is a great plane and a safe one. And based on the story this might be a one off since the cracks started from tool marks, which indicates someone missed installing the pin and hit the Lock Link instead. In my opinion if they needed that much force then they were installing the pin wrong, I perfer pressing them in after properly lining them up.
But the 717s are getting old and will soon be phased out, maybe some will survive as private jets or cargo haulers but I suspect none will be in passenger service by the end of the decade.

made for shorter runways

Are you serious with a comment like that?

Hawaiian Airlines Uses them for island hopping they get a bit of hot weather there. There used to be a lot of them in Spain, again it gets warm there.

If they still do the job and are safe why get rid of them. I like riding in the 717s, they are usually comfortable and have a great safety record. No major crashes, no fatalities and this is the first AD for a mechanical issue I recall reading about and it’s because someone hit a link with a hammer years befor that link cracked.