The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board says the Boeing 737 9 MAX plane that experienced a door panel rupture during a flight last month may have left the factory with the keybolt removed. breaking news.
In January, an Alaska Airlines jet headed from Oregon to California was forced to make an emergency landing after the exit door panel was blown off. As a result of this horrific incident, all Boeing 737 9 MAX aircraft were grounded for several weeks pending quality control inspections. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines reported finding loose bolts on multiple planes.
The door panel that was blown off during the flight was designed to be held in place with four bolts and 12 “stops.” An initial investigation by the safety board revealed that the bolt appeared to be missing.
“Once the plug is in place, it is secured against vertical movement by a total of four bolts,” Tuesday’s report explained. “Overall, the observed damage pattern and the lack of contact damage or deformation around the holes associated with the vertical motion arrester bolt and the upper guide track bolt on the upper guide fitting, hinge fitting, and recovered aft lower hinge guide fitting. This indicates that four bolts are damaged. Prevent upward movement. [mid exit door] The MED plug was missing before it moved upward from the stop pad. ”
Spirit AeroSystems, a former Boeing subsidiary, had removed the door plug in September to repair a damaged rivet, according to the NTSB.
“Photographic documentation obtained from Boeing shows evidence that the left MED plug was closed without the three visible retaining bolts,” the report continued. “The investigation continues to determine what manufacturing documentation was used to allow opening and closing of the left MED plug during rework of the rivet.”
“When was the last time those bolts were installed?” asked US aviation safety expert John Cox. Reuters report. “Did Spirit not install the bolt and then when Boeing opened the bolt, the staff didn’t notice the bolt was missing? Or did Boeing not install the bolt? We don’t have an answer to that yet. think. “
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. CNN That a similar incident may occur again.
“Of course something like this could happen again,” Homendy said Wednesday. “This is why the NTSB exists to make sure something like this never happens again.”
“There is no way this plane could have been delivered without four safety-critical bolts,” she added. “There are issues along the way. We’re not just digging into what’s going on at Boeing, we’re digging into the FAA’s oversight of Boeing. We’re very encouraged by the administrator’s comments. ing.”
Boeing shareholders then sued the aircraft company, claiming that the company’s “serious safety deficiencies” and “inadequate quality control” measures led to the horrific incident, ultimately causing the stock price to decline. filed a lawsuit against. Shareholders accused Boeing of prioritizing profits over safety.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said in a recent statement: “No matter the ultimate conclusion, Boeing is responsible for what happened. This should not happen on planes departing from our factories.”
“We have to do better for our customers and their passengers,” he added.
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