from ZeroHedge:
Update (1722ET):
Sources tell the aviation blog The Air Current that “loose bolts and other parts on 737 Max 9 plug doors” have been found after inspections following the Alaska Airlines mid-air mishap when a door ripped off the plane over Portland on Friday.
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
BREAKING: United has found loose bolts and other parts on 737 Max 9 plug doors as it inspects its fleet of Boeing jets following the rapid depressurization aboard an Alaska jet, according to three people familiar with the findings. https://t.co/pcPx9I8Z0l (via @theaircurrent)
— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) January 8, 2024
“The discrepant bolts and other parts on the plug doors have been found on at least five aircraft,” the source said.
Following @jonostrower‘s scoop on United finding 737-9s with loose door plug screws, a source sent this image of one of the door plug’s lower hinge bracket with a note that 2 screws are not screwed all the way in. https://t.co/sz1d997PdL pic.twitter.com/d6hgHAEb2u
— Edward Russell (@ByERussell) January 8, 2024
The Air Current noted, “The findings aboard the five United aircraft will likely significantly widen the fall-out from the grounding, intensifying the focus on Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems. The pair together is responsible for the assembly, installation and quality checks of the aircraft structure.”
A United spokesperson confirmed the findings:
“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.”
There are 215 737 Max 9s in service across 11 major airlines.
“Not sure that can be attributable to just one line. Might have to ground all Boeing aircraft delivered in a given window of time?” one X user said.
* * *
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair Jennifer Homendy said cockpit recording data on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet, which lost a fuselage panel that triggered a sudden decompression event near Portland on Friday, won’t be retrieved because the data was erased.
