In a startling turn of events, United Airlines has discovered loose bolts on the door plugs of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, causing further concerns about the safety of these planes. After Alaska Airlines recently experienced a harrowing incident in which a door plug blew off mid-flight, leaving a sizable hole in the cabin, United Airlines took immediate action to inspect their own fleet of planes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) subsequently grounded approximately 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft over the weekend.
According to United Airlines, inspections identified issues with the installation of door plugs, including bolts that required additional tightening. This revelation has raised questions about the manufacturing and maintenance processes of these aircraft models. However, the exact number of planes affected by this issue has not been disclosed.
As investigators work tirelessly to determine the cause of the Alaska Airlines incident, a significant breakthrough has occurred. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced today that they have successfully located the door plug that was forcefully expelled from the Alaska Airlines plane. Remarkably, the door plug was found in a resident's backyard in Portland, Oregon.
The NTSB is currently examining the retrieved door plug, hoping that it will provide crucial evidence regarding how it became detached from the aircraft. This analysis will involve assessing various components, fittings, and structures attached to the door plug. Material engineers and metallurgists will study the door plug to gain insight into the circumstances surrounding its separation.
While the investigation is ongoing, the NTSB Chair, Jennifer Homendy, emphasized that aviation remains a safe mode of transportation. The United States boasts the safest airspace globally; however, preserving this reputation requires a thorough investigation into such incidents. The primary objective is to understand what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Questions have emerged about the safety of passengers seated near the door plug on the Alaska Airlines flight. Fortunately, it appears to have been a matter of coincidence that no passengers were seated in the immediate vicinity. Had individuals occupied those specific seats, they could have been exposed to the potential danger of being ejected from the plane due to the sudden depressurization.
In addition to the concerns surrounding loose bolts on the door plugs, the lack of extended cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recording hours has become a point of contention. The NTSB has long advocated for the extension of CVR recording hours from two to 25, believing that it is essential for thorough investigations. Regrettably, federal regulations currently result in the override of CVR data after just two hours, limiting the information available to investigators.
Although the FAA has recently proposed extending CVR recording hours to 25 for newly manufactured airplanes, there is a pressing need to apply this rule retroactively to all aircraft. The NTSB is deeply disappointed by the shortcomings in communication between the cockpit and cabin crew during the Alaska Airlines incident, highlighting the necessity of embracing all available data to promote safety improvements within the aviation industry.
As the investigation into the Alaska Airlines incident continues, the aviation industry anxiously awaits answers and the implementation of necessary safety changes.
