Alaska Airlines and United found loose parts on multiple 737 Max 9 aircraft, they have said, referring to the Boeing model grounded after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated plane mid-flight over the weekend.
The industry publication Air Current reported that United found discrepant bolts on other parts on at least five panels that were being inspected following the accident. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing declined to comment.
“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. These findings will be remedied by our tech ops team to safely return the aircraft to service,” United said in a statement.
A cabin panel on a brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 Max blew out on Friday at 16,000ft, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing shortly after its takeoff from Portland, Oregon. No serious injuries were reported.
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On Monday evening, Alaska Airlines released a statement indicating that maintenance technicians had found issues when inspecting their 737 Max 9 fleet. “Initial reports from our technicians indicate some loose hardware was visible on some aircraft,” the statement said.
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Robin Edgar
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