Boeing 737 MAX 9 flew with loose hatch covers – Kommersant
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American airlines reported that a mass inspection of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft revealed that many of them had improperly installed hatch covers. Now US authorities can begin a larger inspection of Boeing aircraft, reports Reuters.
Let us recall that on January 6, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger plane, en route from Portland to Ontario, was forced to make an emergency landing at the departure airport after the emergency exit hatch plug fell off, which led to depressurization of the cabin at an altitude of about 5 km. After the incident, the US Civil Aviation Administration (FAA) decided to suspend operation of selected Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft for inspection purposes. The FAA’s order affects 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, almost all of which are in the United Airlines and Alaska Airlines fleet. On the eve of the F.A.A. approved an inspection procedure for Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, after which, in the absence of malfunctions and non-compliance with safety requirements, airlines will be able to resume flights on these aircraft.
“Since we began our preliminary review on Saturday, we have identified cases that appear to be related to door plug installation issues, such as bolts that required additional tightening,” United said.
Alaska Airlines said initial reports from technicians preparing its fleet of 737 MAX 9s for inspection indicated that “some loose equipment was visible on some aircraft.”
On Monday, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported the discovery of a detached hatch plug on an Alaska Airlines flight, Boeing 737 MAX 9. At the same time, the regulator added that the bolts that were supposed to keep the plug from moving vertically had not yet been found. It remains unclear whether the plug was secured according to the instructions. So far, the NTSB is investigating exclusively the incident with the Alaska Airlines plane, but as the head of the regulator, Jennifer Homendy, noted, the authorities are ready to expand the investigation if necessary.
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