Door adjustment screws were missing in Boeing 737 MAX incident, investigation says

A preliminary investigation into the incident of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 from the airline Alaska Airlines that occurred at the beginning of January revealed on Tuesday that screws were missing that were supposed to secure a blind door that detached in mid-flight, according to the US Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB).

According to the NTSB, the absence of wear or deformation of some holes “indicates that four screws intended to prevent the stopper door from moving up were missing before it moved out of the stops”.

The agency compiled written documents and photographs showing that Boeing employees removed four screws from these locations during an inspection at the Renton, Washington state plant before the plane was delivered last October.

This operation had been carried out to replace five damaged rivets in the aircraft cabin. Other photos taken after the rivets were replaced show that at least three of the screws had not been reinstalled.

This plug door was used to block an exit that was not intended for use, since the model already has enough emergency exits in this configuration.

On January 5, the panel detached mid-flight after the Alaska Airlines MAX 9 took off from Portland, Oregon, bound for Ontario, California. The incident only caused minor injuries.

United Airlines, owner of the largest fleet of 737 MAX 9s with 79 planes, said it had discovered “screws that needed additional tightening” during checks.

In recent months, Boeing aircraft have experienced a series of problems and, as a result, the American company has had to delay its deliveries.

They will intensify supervision

Meanwhile, the head of the United States Federal Aviation Administration, Michael Whitaker, declared this Tuesday before a group of the House of Representatives that the agency will intensify oversight “in the ground” of the production and manufacturing activities of Boeing aircraft.

Whitaker’s appearance in Washington took place after a Boeing 737 Max 9 from the Alaska Airlines fleet had to return to the ground in Oregon on January 5 after losing an emergency door panel in the air, an accident that It put the company in the eye of the hurricane.

Due to what happened, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the immobilization of all aircraft of that model for review and, subsequently, endorsed their “gradual reincorporation”, although it prohibited Boeing from expanding production of the model.

“From now on, we will have more staff on the ground to closely examine and supervise production and manufacturing activitiesWhitaker said in his opening statement to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee.

In response to questions from legislators, the person in charge also encouraged Boeing employees to inform the FAA of any safety problem, since, as he assured, it is the “priority number one” from the agency.

The FAA had already committed five years ago to increasing control over this aircraft manufacturer, after two fatal accidents in which Boeing Max aircraft were also involved.

In this sense, the American aeronautical manufacturer has had 5 years of losses, first due to the 737 Max crisis, and then due to the economic crisis derived from the pandemic, to which was recently added the 737 Max 9 scare.

With information from AFP and EFE