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The Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that airlines inspect the door plugs on a second type of Boeing plane, after one blew out midflight in another model and caused a dramatic emergency landing.
The FAA suggested airlines check the bolts on mid-cabin door plugs on Boeing’s 737-900ER model “as soon as possible” to ensure that they are adequately secured, as an “added layer of safety.”
“The Boeing 737-900ER is not part of the newer Max fleet but has the same door plug design,” the agency said. A door plug refers to an exit that is sealed with a panel, rather than used as a door.
Earlier this month, aviation authorities grounded about 170 of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 aircraft after the door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight blew out minutes after takeoff, leaving a gaping hole beside a row of seats.
The plug fell some 16,000 feet into a backyard below in Portland, Ore.
Sunday’s safety recommendation marked the latest in a string of updates issued by the FAA in the aftermath of the Jan. 5 incident, which the agency has previously said “should have never happened and it cannot happen again.” As well as grounding the Max aircraft, federal officials have increased their oversight of Boeing’s production process and launched a probe into potential flaws, including the role of a key supplier.
“We fully support the FAA and our customers in this action,” Boeing spokeswoman Jessica Kowal said in a statement early Monday.
In emailed statements, Delta Air Lines said it was taking “proactive measures” to inspect its 737-900ER fleet, while United Airlines said its own “proactive inspections” would be “completed in the next few days.” Both airlines said Monday they did not anticipate any disruption to flight schedules as a result.
What happened on the Alaska Airlines flight after the door plug blew out?
Since its maiden flight in 2006, the FAA said, the 737-900ER had recorded more than 11 million hours of operation and completed 3.9 million flight cycles, with no issues arising related to its door plug.
In its announcement, the FAA said, “Some operators have conducted additional inspections on the 737-900ER mid-exit door plugs and have noted findings with bolts during the maintenance inspections.”
According to Boeing’s website, the 737-900ER (extended range) has a maximum capacity of 215 passengers and can fly up to 3,200 nautical miles.
Boeing, amid growing scrutiny of the country’s leading aerospace manufacturer in the wake of the Alaska Airlines flight, in recent months has admitted to loose bolts in the Max’s rudder-control system, holes being drilled wrongly by a supplier and an anti-icing system defect.
In a legal complaint filed in a Seattle court, six passengers and a family member sued Boeing over the issue on the Max plane, which they said caused physical injuries and emotional trauma.
According to the filing, the rapid depressurization ripped a shirt off a boy and sucked cellphones out the aircraft. An iPhone found by a pedestrian on an Oregon road with its screen intact was probably one of them, transport regulators said.
After the aircraft’s pilots made an emergency landing, inspectors reported damage in at least 12 of the plane’s rows, with pieces of trim, paneling and insulation ripped out. Experts say it would have been considerably more dangerous if the blowout had occurred after the plane reached its cruising altitude, where the force of a decompression could have been strong enough to pull passengers out of the cabin.
You can filter the Boeing 737 Max 9 out of your flight search
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2024/01/22/faa-boeing-737-safety-door-plug/