Current:Home > NewsUnited, Alaska Airlines find loose hardware on door plugs on several Boeing 737 Max 9 planes -AlphaFinance Experts
United, Alaska Airlines find loose hardware on door plugs on several Boeing 737 Max 9 planes
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:16:40
United Airlines and Alaska Airlines say they found loose hardware on door plugs on several of their grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes, days after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines plane while it was in-flight.
"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," United said in a statement to CBS News."These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service."
Alaska Airlines said in a statement Monday night that, "As our maintenance technicians began preparing our 737-9 MAX fleet for inspections, they accessed the area in question. Initial reports from our technicians indicate some loose hardware was visible on some aircraft. When we are able to proceed with the formal inspection process, all aircraft will be thoroughly inspected in accordance with detailed instructions provided by the FAA in consultation with Boeing."
United has 79 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes. It didn't say how many had loose bolts. Alaska owns 64 MAX 9s.
- Here's what to know about the Boeing 737 Max 9, the jet that suffered an inflight blowout
United said the aircraft with loose bolts are of various ages, and it doesn't appear the affected planes were part of a group that came off the production line around the same time as the one involved in Friday's incident.
Separately, National Transportation Safety Board officials said in a media briefing Monday night that four bolts that were helping to hold the blown out plug in place are unaccounted for. Investigators don't know if they were ever there or broke or were sucked out of the plane. Further testing will be needed to try to find out.
Friday's incident prompted the FAA to ground all of the types of Boeing 737 Max 9s involved in the incident until the agency is "satisfied that they are safe," an FAA spokesperson said in a statement Sunday.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled by both carriers since the blowout.
"As operators conduct the required inspections, we are staying in close contact with them and will help address any and all findings," Boeing said in a statement Monday evening. "We are committed to ensuring every Boeing airplane meets design specifications and the highest safety and quality standards. We regret the impact this has had on our customers and their passengers."
Alaska and United are the only two U.S. passenger carriers that use Max 9s. The companies operate nearly two-thirds of the 215 Max 9 aircraft in service around the world, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
— Kris Van Cleave contributed reporting.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- The Trump trials: A former president faces justice
- 16 Products That Will Help You Easily Tackle Your Mile-Long List of Chores While Making Them Fun
- An Indiana county hires yet another election supervisor, hoping she’ll stay
- FBI: California woman brought sword, whip and other weapons into Capitol during Jan. 6 riot
- Mi abuela es un meme y es un poco por mi culpa
- United Nations Official Says State Repression of Environmental Defenders Threatens Democracy and Human Rights
- Watch: Caitlin Clark breaks Pete Maravich's NCAA scoring record
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- PHOTOS: What it's like to be 72 — the faces (and wisdom) behind the age
Ranking
- Judge says Mexican ex-official tried to bribe inmates in a bid for new US drug trial
- Texas police arrest suspect in abduction of 12-year-old girl who was found safe after 8 days
- 'Dune: Part Two' ending explained: Atreides' revenge is harrowing warning (spoilers ahead)
- 'Dune: Part Two' ending explained: Atreides' revenge is harrowing warning (spoilers ahead)
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
- PHOTOS: What it's like to be 72 — the faces (and wisdom) behind the age
- My grandmother became a meme and it's kind of my fault
- 4 new astronauts head to the International Space Station for a 6-month stay
Recommendation
Immigration issues sorted, Guatemala runner Luis Grijalva can now focus solely on sports
Cancer is no longer a death sentence, but treatments still have a long way to go
Head Start preschools aim to fight poverty, but their teachers struggle to make ends meet
Knicks avoid catastrophic injury as Jalen Brunson diagnosed with knee contusion
Carolinas bracing for second landfall from Tropical Storm Debby: Live updates
Men's March Madness bubble winners, losers: No doubt, Gonzaga will make NCAA Tournament
Putting LeBron James' 40,000 points in perspective, from the absurd to the amazing
ESPN NFL Reporter Chris Mortensen Dead at 72