United Airlines has found loose bolts and other “installation problems” on some of the Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft that were inspected after an Alaska Airlines jet lost part of its fuselage during a flight last Friday. This was reported by the AP news agency on Tuesday. No one was injured in the incident involving the Alaska Airlines plane.
“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found cases that appear to be related to installation issues in the door plug – for example, bolts that required additional tightening,” the airline said.
The loose screws were found in the panel used to seal off an area reserved for additional emergency exits. On Friday’s Alaska Airlines flight, that panel was torn loose about half an hour after takeoff while flying over Oregon at about 15,000 feet.
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Safety issues
After the incident, the American aviation authority FAA announced that all Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft that were in the United States or owned by an American airline had to be inspected. European airlines could continue flying.
It is not the first time that the Boeing 737 MAX has suffered from safety problems. In 2018 and 2019, crashes involving the aircraft occurred in Indonesia and Ethiopia. These cost the lives of 346 people. The aircraft were then grounded for twenty months.