Loose screws on several 737 Max 9s of the US airline United Airlines are exacerbating the crisis at manufacturer Boeing after the recent incident with the broken down aircraft. United has now apparently discovered loose screws on several aircraft.
During inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, the US airline United Airlines found loose screws on the fuselage component that had broken off a few days ago during the flight of such a machine.
A United spokeswoman did not say how many planes had the problem. The airline has a total of 79 aircraft of this type. During inspections, suspected defects were discovered in connection with the installation of cover panels that close an unneeded emergency exit, the airline said.
Apparently at least five United planes were affected
There were screws that had to be tightened. The installation of the cover plate is a configuration that Boeing offers when the number of existing emergency exits is already sufficient in view of the number of seats in the aircraft.
According to The Air Current website, the loose screws and other problems with the component have been found on at least five United aircraft. An insider familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency that 10 United aircraft had already been affected.
“This changes everything because it’s now a fleet problem. It’s a quality control problem,” said US aviation safety expert John Cox. Investigators said on Sunday that it was still too early to determine the cause.
Component closes door opening
The US aviation authority FAA ordered aircraft to be grounded and inspected at the weekend. On an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday, the part suddenly tore off shortly after takeoff while climbing. 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. According to the local authority EASA, no aircraft in the European Union are affected by the decommissioning and inspections.
New doubts about production of Boeing’s 737 Max series
The incident raises new doubts among industry experts about the production of the 737 Max. “It was really important to find out whether just this one aircraft was affected on Friday evening,” said Anthony Brickhouse, an aviation safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “The fact that United has now found several aircraft with loose screws means the investigation is expanding.”
Boeing’s share price fell eight percent on Monday.