At least 10 United Airlines 737 Max 9 aircraft have been discovered with loose bolts around part the fuselage at the centre of safety concerns, following a mid-air blow-out on an Alaska Airlines Max 9 at the weekend.
Detailed inspections of Boeing’s Max 9 aircraft have been ordered, after the initial examinations discovered the loose bolts and other problems on aircraft operated by both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 Max 9 planes on Saturday, after a panel in the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines Max 9 blew off just minutes after taking off from Portland, Oregon on Friday.
The pilots declared a mid-air emergency and managed to land the 737 back in Portland, despite a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft.
A panel in the fuselage of a plane led to a gaping hole
Reuters
Several people suffered minor injuries in the incident, affecting a part of the fuselage known as a ‘door plug’.
The initial examinations by United and Alaska Airlines revealed loose parts around similar areas on multiple grounded aircraft.
The discovery has raised serious concerns over the possibility of wider safety issues affecting the popular variation of Boeing’s 737 airliner.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it could not yet tell whether the panel that blew off the Alaska Airlines jet had been properly attached.
The recovered fuselage plug area of the Alaska Airlines plane
Reuters
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said her agency’s focus was on the plane at the centre of the accident, but the Board “would not hesitate to make broader safety recommendations if needed” as investigations continued.
There are still ongoing discussions between Boeing, the FAA and the affected U.S. airlines on the precise inspection guidelines for the 737 Max 9 aircraft in their fleets.
Alaska Airlines said initial reports from technicians indicated some “loose hardware” was visible on some aircraft in the relevant area, when it conducted initial checks.
The airline said it was waiting for final documentation from Boeing and the FAA before formal inspections could begin.
United said its preliminary checks found bolts that needed tightening on several panels.
An aviation source familiar with the initial inspections at United said technicians had so far found close to 10 aircraft with loose bolts.
Boeing said it was staying in close contact with Max 9 operators and would help customers address any findings during inspections.
Any protracted issues with the aircraft will pile pressure on Boeing, which suffered from numerous production problems since a wider grounding of the 737 Max family in 2019, that last 20 months.
That followed two separate deadly crashes, which killed 346 people.
A number of Max 9 aircraft operated by Turkish Airlines, AeroMexico, Copa and Lion Air have also been grounded while inspections continue.