United Airlines said Monday that it discovered weak bolts on the door plugs of numerous Boeing 737 Max 9 planes following inspections prompted by a panel of that type blowing out on an Alaska Airlines flight last week.
- IMPORTANT NOTES
- During examinations of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines discovered unsecured hardware.
- The Federal Aviation Administration grounded dozens of 737 Max 9 planes on Saturday after a panel burst out mid-flight on Alaska Flight 1282.
- Boeing announced earlier Monday that it has sent orders to airlines to assess the Max 9s in their fleets.
Later Monday, Alaska Airlines stated that early examinations of the planes revealed “loose hardware” and that “no aircraft will be returned to service” until full reviews are completed.
“The safety of these aircraft is our priority and we will take the time and steps necessary to ensure their airworthiness, in close partnership with the FAA,” the airline said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded dozens of 737 Max 9 planes on Saturday after the panel on Alaska Flight 1282 burst off mid-flight. Alaska Airlines operates 65 Max 9 planes. United operates the most of the jet models, with 79.
“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug—for example, bolts that needed additional tightening,” the company stated in a statement. “These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service.”
The FAA declined to comment on the airline’s findings earlier Monday. Boeing announced earlier Monday that it has provided instructions to airlines to assess the Max 9s in their fleets. United had started some preliminary inspection work a few days before.
“We are committed to ensuring that every Boeing airplane meets design specifications as well as the highest safety and quality standards,” Boeing stated Monday evening in a statement. “We regret the impact this has had on our customers and their passengers.”
No one was seriously injured in the accident aboard the Alaska Airlines flight, though the blown-out panel produced a force so violent that some headrests and seatbacks were ripped from the cabin and the cockpit door was flung open, according to initial details of a federal safety investigation. No passengers were seated in the two seats next to the panel. The National Transportation Safety Board said the accident would have been worse at cruising altitude when passengers and crews were walking around the cabin.
However, the disaster casts new light on Boeing, which has spent years trying to clear up a slew of quality flaws while also pushing up aircraft production, including that of the 737 Max. CEO Dave Calhoun has spent months attempting to reassure airlines, investors, and financial experts that the company is striving to improve its supply chain and rectify its quality issues.
Calhoun canceled this week’s business leadership meeting and intends to host an all-employee call on Tuesday. With almost 4,000 orders to fill, the 737 Max is Boeing’s best-selling aircraft. The majority of those orders, however, are for the more common Max 8, which is unaffected by the grounding.
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