Jon Ostrower reports that, during inspections following the Alaska Airlines loss of a a decommissioned exit door during flight, United Airlines has found at least 5 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft with “loose bolts and other parts.”
Thus it was not simply an aberration that the fuselage opened up inflight during the Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to Ontario, California. There appears to be a more systematic issue at play with this aircraft equipped with ‘plug’ doors that aren’t needed in a standard passenger configuration.
Following @jonostrower's scoop on United finding 737-9s with loose door plug screws, a source sent this image of one of the door plug's lower hinge bracket with a note that 2 screws are not screwed all the way in. https://t.co/sz1d997PdL pic.twitter.com/d6hgHAEb2u
— Edward Russell (@ByERussell) January 8, 2024
We do not yet know where the loose parts issue originated – with the manufacturer of the parts, with Spirit AeroSystems, or with Boeing. However Boeing’s quality control does appear to be implicated, and but for luck of no passengers being seated directly by the hole that was created in the fuselage of the Alaska Airlines aircraft a much deadlier incident could have occurred.
BREAKING: Alaska Airlines plane makes emergency landing in Portland, Oregon after window blows out in mid-air.
Several items, including phones, were sucked out of the plane when it suddenly depressurized. Everyone is safe. pic.twitter.com/BtOB1RU3tn
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 6, 2024
Since we’re seeing issues with other Boeing 737 MAX 9s discovered through inspections, this incident ultimately may have saved lives.
“Much deadlier”? That implies somebody died.
Not only not surprised but exactly what I expected. It’s a quality control issue and potentially a problem with the 737-900ER as well as the 737 MAX9
I had 2 Max 9 united flights in early Feb to Kona, HI via SF. Rebooked both to non MAX planes via denver. I dont trust that these planes are as safe as other generations and I dont trust that they will be back in service soon
Welp…this is going to be a problem. Just wait until the government makes them open up the 900’s….you know, those planes that have been pressurizing/bouncing/rattling around for years.
Is there any likelihood that this could prevent the government from exempting Boeing from getting the safety exemption that it is asking for on a different model?
Alaska Air knew they had a problem before this incident. They continued to allow this brand new aircraft to fly without getting to the source of the problem. To me, this is quite scary and tells me that they really aren’t placing safety first.
Nothing ever changes with Boeing, the 737-max should never have been approved in the first place.
Time to cancel its certification, and ground the entire fleet permanently.
Gary this is a good example of how important experience and management oversight are essential for safety. Boeing used to be the best and could be counted on to build the world’s best airliners. They have lost their way.
I have flight on United 737 max in March. I have basic economy fare. Can I cancel and get refund as I don’t want to fly on 737 Max as there is always some problem with it. Basic economy does not give refund but in this case, can I ask for it?
I can take AA. They have 737 but not 737 Max.
Wow… 5 hours gone by and no JetBlue CEO Post
Once an airline takes delivery of an aircraft, they are responsible for maintaining it in good working order. When were these bolts last inspected by the airline owning the airplane? Who at the airline makes sure that the bolts are torqued correctly? Are these bolts the ones that failed leading to the failure of the door plug? If there was a pressurization leak, why did Alaska Airlines not take the airplane out of service until a complete inspection was done?
This almost makes one wonder if there was one employee who specialized in not tightening these bolts and another employee somewhere else who specialized in not inspecting them.
As a retired airline employee, I could give dozens of examples of how safety is not “number one,” but getting the brakes released for the on time departure is actually the most important thing at my former employer. Shameful behavior by management!
@Joe United is correct in his analysis. Management needs to get their bonuses and we can’t let stupid safety concerns get in the way of that.
The damaged airplane had a pressurization warning light come on three times in the last month per the latest report. I guess taking an airplane out of service to get to the root cause would be too logical and go against the bean counters. It doesn’t look any better at United as they didn’t seem to check their airplanes until now and now have found some with loose hardware.
@SMR – wifi wasn’t great on my flight back from Europe
I’ve seen numerous comments in the last couple of day wondering why this plug wasn’t maintenance checked. Is this an item/area you would expect to receive a maintenance check on a recurring basis? It doesn’t appear, from some of the pictures I’ve seen, that this is something that could be checked even on an overnight stop somewhere. If the 737-900 and 737-9 Max have a similar configuration, I guess we should feel blessed that this hasn’t happened before with more extreme results.
Spirit Aerosystems is in a right to work state. Right to work state means; Keep your mouth shut,
keep your concerns to yourself, keep your job! THINK ABOUT THAT NEXT TIME YOU OR YOUR LOVED ONES ARE IN THE AIR!