Alaska Airlines said more “loose hardware” had been found on some of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes it grounded following a mid-air explosion last week – after United revealed that bolts on some of its jets needed to be tightened.
In a statement issued Monday night, Alaska Airlines said that initial reports from its technicians “indicate some loose hardware is visible on some aircraft.”
The airline added that all its planes are being “thoroughly checked in accordance with the detailed instructions given by the [Federal Aviation Administration] negotiate with Boeing.”
The airline is awaiting final paperwork from Boeing and the FAA, which on Saturday temporarily pulled 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes from service before official inspections can take place.
Alaska Airlines said more “loose hardware” had been found on some of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes that were grounded after Friday’s near miss. Getty Images A fuselage panel was blown off an Alaska Airlines plane on Friday, forcing an emergency landing. Instagram/@strawberrvy via REUTE This image provided by Kelly Bartlett shows passengers near a hole in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, Flight 1282, on January 5, 2024. AP
Also on Monday, United Airlines said its initial inspection found a bolt that needed tightening on a door plug of the type taken off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport last Friday.
United has found nearly 10 planes with loose bolts during its initial inspections, according to sources familiar with the matter, up from the initial five first reported by industry publication Air Current.
There is an ongoing dispute between Boeing, the FAA and the individual airlines that use the MAX 9 aircraft over inspection guidelines.
The door plug was found in a Portland teacher’s backyard. It will be important in the investigation of the incident. AP agents examine a door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan. 8, 2024, after it was found in Portland, Oregon. National Transportation Safety Board/AFP via Getty Images This photo provided by Diane Flaherty shows the headrest from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on the ground in Flaherty’s backyard in southwest Portland, Ore. AP
Boeing is expected to change the guidelines it submitted to the airlines earlier Monday, and the FAA will have to sign off on the new guidelines before the airlines can begin repairs, sources said.
“We are committed to ensuring that every Boeing aircraft meets the highest design specifications and safety and quality standards,” the aircraft manufacturer said. “We regret the impact this has had on our customers and their passengers.”
Once the final process is green-lit by the FAA, inspections are expected to take several days, forcing the cancellation of many flights.
The FAA said the 171 MAX 9 jets fitted with the same fuselage panels being flown will remain on the ground “until operators complete enhanced inspections including both left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components and fasteners.”
An Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon, was forced to make a dramatic emergency landing Friday after a large panel was sucked out of the plane 16,000 feet in the air, along with some of the passengers’ belongings, leaving a gaping rectangular hole in the plane. .
The door plug was found by a Portland science teacher in her backyard on Sunday.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
