'Loose parts' found during Boeing plane inspections
US investigators say a door panel slid up before flying off an Alaska Airlines jetliner last week, and they are looking at whether four bolts supposed to help hold the panel in place were missing when the plane took off.
The comments from the National Transportation Safety Board came shortly after Alaska and United Airlines reported separately that they found had loose parts in the panels -- or door plugs -- of some other Boeing 737 Max 9 jets.
“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug -- for example, bolts that needed additional tightening,” Chicago-based United said.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Alaska said that as it began examining its Max 9s, “Initial reports from our technicians indicate some loose hardware was visible on some aircraft.”
The findings of investigators and the airlines are ratcheting up pressure on Boeing to address concerns that have grown since the terrifying fuselage blowout on Friday night. A plug covering a spot left for an emergency door tore off the plane as it flew 4,800 metres above Oregon.
Boeing has called an online meeting for all employees Tuesday to discuss safety.
Meanwhile, the missing door panel has been recovered from a suburban backyard, the US National Transportation Safety Board says.
A Portland schoolteacher identified only as “Bob” found it in his backyard, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said, adding she was “very relieved” it had been found.
She had earlier told reporters the aircraft part was a “key missing component” to determine why the accident occurred.
“Our structures team will want to look at everything on the door - all of the components on the door to see to look at witness marks, to look at any paint transfer, what shape the door was in when found. That can tell them a lot about what occurred,” she said on Sunday.
Homendy said the cockpit voice recorder did not capture any data because it had been overwritten and again called on regulators to mandate retrofitting existing planes with recorders that capture 25 hours of data, up from the two hours required at present.
