Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Airlines, said: NBC News On Tuesday, the airline announced that an internal inspection found “a number of loose bolts” on Boeing planes.
Earlier this month, an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland International Airport to Ontario, California, was forced to make an emergency landing after a panel on the Boeing 737 Max 9 exploded mid-flight, Blaze News previously reported. The plane was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members.
Miraculously, no one was sitting next to the panel. Minicucci noted that there were only seven seats available on the plane at the time of the incident.
“Honestly, I had a guardian angel on that plane,” Minicucci told NBC News.
As a result of this incident, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Boeing Max 9 aircraft. The agency is conducting safety investigations and audits of Boeing's production lines and suppliers.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said: CNBC The agency said it conducts “visual inspections” of aircraft passing through Boeing's factories to ensure quality control.
“We're moving from a more audit approach to a direct inspection approach,” Whitaker said.
As a result of a recent internal inspection, Alaska Airlines found many of its planes had loose bolts.
“We found a lot of Max 9s had loose bolts,” Minicucci said. “These will be corrected through the inspection process.”
“I feel more than frustrated and disappointed,” he continued. “I'm angry. This happened at Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests, it happened to our employees. And my demands against Boeing are What are they going to do to improve their quality program?”
Minicucci noted that Alaska Airlines is sending auditors to look into Boeing's quality control system.
“We knew this was a problem.” [Boeing] It’s a factory,” he added. “And it's clear that the plane doors we received from Boeing are defective. Now, [National Transportation Safety Board] The investigation will determine why the door was defective, whether it was a faulty installation, missing hardware, or a manufacturing issue, but the state of Alaska is still trying to figure out why the aircraft came off the production line with a defective door. I have no doubt that I received it at the door. ”
United Airlines also discovered loose bolts on its Max 9 planes.
“Boeing deeply regrets the disappointment this has caused to our airline customers and the significant disruption this has caused to our customers, employees, and passengers,” Boeing said in a statement to NBC News. “We are taking action on a comprehensive plan to safely return these aircraft to service and improve quality and delivery performance. We are following the FAA's lead and supporting our customers every step of the way. I will do it.”
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