© AP
Alaska Airlines has discovered defects in even more Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The first inspections revealed loose parts, the airline reported on Monday evening. United Airlines also reported loose bolts.
Bron: BELGIUM, BBC
Yesterday at 6:50 am
A door panel came loose in the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 on Friday, shortly after takeoff from Portland airport in the northwest of the United States. The plane, with 171 passengers and six crew members on board, was at an altitude of 5,000 meters at the time. No one was injured. Photos showed a large hole in the side of the plane, with oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling.
After the incident, the American aviation authority FAA grounded dozens of aircraft of the type for inspections. Alaska Airlines now says initial inspections revealed “poorly secured equipment” and “loose hardware” on some planes. The company said the issues will be “addressed fully according to our safety standards” and “in compliance with the FAA.” “No aircraft will be returned to service until all steps have been completed.”
Loose bolts
Another airline, United Airlines, had also reported on Monday that it had found loose bolts on several of its aircraft. “Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found cases that appear to be related to installation issues in the door plug, such as bolts that required additional tightening,” United Airlines reported. The airline reported that it had canceled 200 flights on Monday and expected further cancellations on Tuesday.
Alaska and United did not say how many aircraft problems were discovered. According to the specialized website The Air Current, loose bolts have been found on at least 5 United Airlines aircraft. The airline has a total of 79 aircraft of that type. The FAA has grounded 171 aircraft of the same type.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is leading an investigation into the incident, said pilots on three previous flights had reported pressurization warning signals from the plane involved in Friday’s incident. As a result, the aircraft was no longer allowed to fly over water, so that it could quickly return to an airport. It is still unclear whether the same problem was the cause each time.