A door plug on an Alaska Airlines plane was blown out over the weekend, and images of the event went viral on social media. After that, United Airlines checked all of its 737 Max 9 planes to make sure they were safe to fly again.
However, Alaska Airlines said that during the first checks, they found “some loose hardware” on their plane.
They said, “The safety of these aircraft is our priority, and we will take the time and steps necessary to ensure their airworthiness, in close partnership with the FAA.”
“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,” a statement from United Airlines said.
The Federal Aviation Administration put all of their 737 Max 9s on hold after these results so they could be inspected and fixed. They’ve also had to cancel flights because of this. On Monday, they canceled at least 200 flights, and they expect to cancel even more on Tuesday.
As operators do the needed inspections, we are staying in close contact with them and will help them deal with any and all findings,” Boeing said in response to United Airlines’ report. We are dedicated to making sure that every Boeing plane meets the greatest standards for safety and quality and the design requirements. We’re sorry for the trouble this has caused our customers and their guests.
In order to focus on their investigation into the Alaska Airlines crash from the weekend, the National Transportation Safety Board chose not to say anything about this. The door plug was 26 by 46 inches and weighed 63 pounds. It was recently found in the garden of the home of a Portland teacher. That thing was taken to a lab to be tested and is now being looked into as proof.
Although no one was hurt, many people said that what happened could have been “something so much more tragic.”
