The US airline United Airlines has additional Boeing aircraft of the type 737 Max 9 loose screws found, Alaska Airlines has also discovered problems with other aircraft of the model. They are located on the component that closes a door opening that is not needed in the model examined – and was broken off during a flight on Friday. “This changes everything because it’s now a fleet problem. It’s a quality control problem,” said US aviation safety expert John Cox.
Neither United nor Alaska Airlines have yet provided information on how many planes had the problem. However, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that United had now discovered loose screws on 10 aircraft. According to information from the website The Air Current The loose screws and other problems with the component were found on at least five United Airlines planes. The airline has a total of 79 aircraft of this type, so the number of affected aircraft could still increase. The US aviation authority FAA ordered the aircraft to be grounded and inspected at the weekend. It is unclear when the fleet will be put back into service.
The piece that fell out of the cabin wall was found in a garden in Portland.
(Photo: National Transportation Safety Board/AP)
The part is installed in some aircraft instead of an additional emergency exit
On an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday, the part suddenly tore off shortly after takeoff while climbing. The incident occurred on the way from Portland, Oregon to Ontario Airport – at an altitude of 4,900 meters. The 171 passengers largely escaped in horror. According to experts, this is also due to fortunate circumstances: no one was sitting directly next to the part that broke out, and all passengers were still wearing their seatbelts during this phase of the flight. The part is installed in some aircraft instead of an additional emergency exit. These emergency exits are mainly available on low-cost airlines because they have more seats and require additional evacuation routes.
Most aircraft of the Boeing model 737 Max 9 are operated in the USA by United and Alaska Airlines. According to the local authority EASA, no aircraft in the European Union are affected by the decommissioning and inspections.