A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft lands at San Francisco International Airport in California on March 13, 2019.
Justin Sullivan | fake images
united airlines said Monday that he found loose bolts in the door stoppers of several boeing 737 Max 9 during inspections was spurred when such a panel exploded during a Alaska Airlines flight using that type of aircraft last week.
On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded dozens of 737 Max 9s after the panel exploded mid-flight on Alaska Flight 1282, calling for inspections.
United has 79 Max 9 aircraft in its fleet and is the largest operator of the jet model.
“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found cases that appear to be related to installation issues in the door stopper, for example, bolts that needed additional tightening,” United said in a statement. “Our Tech Ops team will address these findings to safely return the aircraft to service.”
Aircraft maker Boeing said on Monday it had issued instructions to airlines to conduct inspections of Max 9s in their fleets. United had begun some preliminary inspection work in recent days.
“We are committed to ensuring that every Boeing aircraft meets design specifications and the highest safety and quality standards,” Boeing said in a statement late Monday. “We regret the impact this has had on our customers and their passengers.”
No one was seriously injured in the accident aboard the Alaska Airlines flight, although the burst panel produced such violent force that some headrests and seat backs were ripped from the cabin and the cabin door was flung open, according to reports. initial details of a federal report. security investigation. There were no passengers in the two seats next to the panel.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the accident would have been worse at cruising altitude, when passengers and crew were walking around the cabin.
But the crash raises new scrutiny on Boeing, which has spent years trying to fix a series of quality defects while ramping up production of planes, including the 737 Max. Chief Executive Dave Calhoun has spent months trying to assure airlines, investors and financial analysts that the company is improving its supply chain and working to resolve its quality issues.
Calhoun canceled a company leadership summit this week and plans to hold an all-employee call on Tuesday.
Alaska Airlines, which will inspect its fleet of more than 60 737 Max 9s, did not immediately comment on whether it also found loose bolts.
The FAA declined to comment on United’s findings. Boeing did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The 737 Max is Boeing’s best-selling aircraft, with more than 4,000 orders to fill. However, the more common Max 8, which is not affected by grounding, makes up the majority of those orders.
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