Houston, there is indeed a problem. The American airline United Airlines said Monday that it had discovered poorly screwed bolts during checks on the condemned doors of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, the same as the one torn off during an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday.
United has the largest fleet of 737 MAX 9s, with 79 aircraft, all of which are currently grounded while they undergo an inspection, ordered by the US Civil Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Since we began inspections on Saturday, we have made discoveries that appear to be related to problems with the installation of the panel blocking the doors,” the company said in a statement sent to AFP. “For example, bolts that needed to be tightened. »
Mid-flight depressurization
Locking certain doors is a configuration that Boeing offers to its customers when the number of existing emergency exits is already sufficient in relation to the number of seats in the aircraft.
In addition to the 737 MAX 9, this device already exists on other Boeing models, notably the 737-900ER, launched in 2006 and which has not experienced any similar incidents since.
On Friday, during an Alaska Airlines flight between Portland, Oregon and Ontario, California, the obstructed left door detached from the cabin mid-flight, causing the aircraft to depressurize.
On Saturday, the FAA asked operators of the 171 MAX-9 planes with clogged doors to suspend them from flight and conduct a thorough inspection.
Panel to disassemble
For each aircraft inspected, United indicated removing the panel hiding the door, removing two rows of seats, checking the attachment points, opening the door, taking any corrective measures, before replacing all the elements.
Also on Monday, the Aeromexico company indicated that it was in the “final phase of a detailed inspection” and anticipated the return to service of its 19 MAX-9s “in the coming days”.
In December, Boeing recommended that companies equipped with 737 MAXs check the rudder control system, after a company noticed that a nut was missing on one of its planes.
According to the FAA, Boeing also observed that a nut was loosely screwed in the same location on an aircraft that had not yet been delivered.