When Your First 737 Won’t Fit The Normal Plan

Posted by Clinton McJenkin on Mar 23rd 2026

We’ve taken apart a lot of aircraft over the years, but nothing quite like this. Our first Boeing 737 was not just bigger, it changed the entire playbook. Instead of bringing the aircraft to us, we packed up and went to it, tackling one of the largest disassemblies we have ever taken on.

But This One Was Different

We’ve disassembled a lot of aircraft over the years.

Singles, twins, turboprops, business jets, the usual parade of aluminum with a story to tell.

But this one was different.

This was our first Boeing 737, and from the minute we took it on, it was obvious this was not going to be a normal BAS job. Not because it was a jet. Not because it was complex.

Because it was a 737, and a 737 has a way of making your normal process look adorable.

Usually, we bring the aircraft to our facility, open the hangar doors, and get to work. This time, that plan stayed on the ground. The airplane was simply too large to relocate without turning the whole project into a permit-heavy, multi-layered logistical circus. So we did what BAS does when the easy option is off the table.

We Went To The Airplane

Our team packed up the tools, the process, and the experience, then headed out of state to disassemble the aircraft on site, piece by piece. For us, that made this more than just another incoming inventory project. It made it a milestone.

Bigger airplane. Bigger job. Same BAS standard.

A Boeing 737 carries a different kind of presence when you are standing next to it on the ground with no terminal, no jet bridge, and no passengers in sight. It stops feeling like transportation and starts feeling like pure machine. Big systems. Big structure. Big responsibility.

And that part matters.

Because when an aircraft reaches the end of its flying life, our job is not to simply take it apart. Our job is to recover value carefully, preserve traceability, and make sure the parts that still have plenty of life left in them are documented, researched, photographed, and prepared for their next stop in the fleet.

That is exactly what this project represents.

Every panel removed. Every system disconnected. Every component handled with intention. A retired aircraft does not mean a finished aircraft. Not here. Not at BAS.

This Was Not Business As Usual

The biggest shift with this 737 was not just the scale. It was the location.

In our own facility, everything is where it belongs. The workflow is dialed in. The tools are close. The process moves exactly how we want it to move.

In the field, you earn it.

Working on site meant planning every step differently, solving problems in real time, coordinating the safe removal of major sections and components, and organizing transport back to our facility so each item could enter the BAS system the right way. No shortcuts. No guesswork. Just a bigger version of what we already do well.

That is what made this project exciting. It was a challenge, yes, but it was also proof that BAS can scale the process when the airplane demands it.

Close-up of a jet engine showing detailed turbine components.

What came off the aircraft

This 737 brought serious inventory with it. A few items are especially high on our radar as we continue processing, including ADIRU units and other high-demand system components already called out in the current post. We are still processing and cataloging material, but recovered components include major systems and assemblies such as:

Here's a tentative list of the parts we've recovered from this plane:

Engines
Thrust reversers
Integrated Drive Generator
APU
Inlet and exhaust
Winglets
Landing gear
Brakes
Wheel/tires
Brake control units
Flight Controls actuators
Flap Actuators
Slat actuators
Rudder Actuators
Elevator Actuators
Stabilizer trim actuators
Avionics
Computers
Panel
Radars
Displays
Galleys
Cockpit seats

ADIRU (Air Data Inertial Reference System)
Flight control
Flaps
Slats
Ailerons
Elevators
Rudder
Fuel System Components
Pumps
Fuel control unitis
Valves
ACM ( Air Cycle Machine)
Heat Exchangers
Pack Valves
Circuit breaker panels
Wiring harnesses
Cockpit panels
Pitot probes
Angle of attack sensors
Logbooks
Emergency slides

Oxygen generators
Bleed Air / Pneumatic Components
PRSOV (Pressure Regulating Shutoff Valve)
Bleed valves
Precooler
Ducting valves
Engine fire bottles
APU fire bottle
Cargo fire suppression bottles
Fire detection loops & control units
Autopilot servos
Yaw Damper units
Antennas and Sensors
AOA sensors
Temp probes
Hydraulic System Components
Hydraulic actuators
PTU unit (power transfer unit
Landing gear doors
Spoilers
TRU and Inverters – static inverters

What happens next

Getting the aircraft disassembled was only the first half of the story.

Once components arrive back at BAS, the real transformation starts. Each part moves through the same process our customers already know us for: cleaning, documentation, photography, research, listing, and preparation for sale. That is where a retired aircraft turns into something useful again.

And that is the point.

This 737 may be done flying, but a huge number of its components are not done working. They are headed toward a second life supporting operators, shops, and aircraft that still need them.

For us, this project is more than a first. It is a marker of where BAS is headed. Bigger aircraft. Bigger capability. Same commitment to doing it right.

A 737 was never going to fit the normal plan. Good thing we were never built for normal.

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Clinton McJenkin

Sales & Marketing Director
BAS Part Sales

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