Older 737s banned at La Paz after landing incidents

Operations by older-variant Boeing 737s have been temporarily banned at Bolivia's capital El Alto airport near La Paz. The ban takes effect immediately, on 10 October, and takes into account recommendations following the occurrence of "events", says the Bolivian civil aviation regulator DGAC. DGAC executive director Celier Arispe Rosas says the prohibition will remain in place while technical evaluation is conducted in several areas relating to operations and airworthiness. "This measure is being carried out with the sole purpose of ensuring safety of our passengers, pilots, aircraft, and all those involved in air operations at El Alto airport," he states. The DGAC adds that it will lift the suspension once risks are mitigated and an "acceptable level" of safety is achieved. It has not specified the events which led to the ban but a number of incidents and accidents at La Paz involving older 737s – those variants prior to the -600 – have occurred within the last year. These include the landing-gear collapse of an arriving Peruvian 737-500, a 1990-built aircraft, in November last year. The DGAC is probing a serious 3 August incident in which a 737-300 of Bolivian carrier BoA – a 1997 airframe – experienced "strong vibration" after the fracture of a main landing-gear shimmy damper.<br/>