On this photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board, investigator-in-charge John Lovell examines the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 7, 2024.
National Transportation Safety Board via AP
Bolts appeared to have been missing from a door plug that blew out midair on a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines last month, in keeping with a recent report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Jan. 5 accident left a gaping hole within the side of the fuselage because the plane filled with passengers climbed out of Portland, Oregon, and was flying at about 16,000 feet. The panel that blew out is used to plug an unused emergency exit.
“Overall, the observed damage patterns and absence of contact damage or deformation around holes related to the vertical movement arrestor bolts and upper guide track bolts within the upper guide fittings, hinge fittings, and recovered aft lower hinge guide fitting indicate that 4 bolts that prevent upward movement of the MED plug were missing before the MED plug moved upward off the stop pads,” the NTSB said in its preliminary report, released Tuesday.
The preliminary report into Flight 1282 provides probably the most detail yet about what went incorrect before the aircraft was handed over to Alaska Airlines late last yr.
The fuselage, including the door plug, each produced by Spirit AeroSystems, arrived at Boeing’s Renton, Washington, plant on Aug. 31. A day later a repair was logged for five damaged rivets, a job that required the bolts to be removed, the NTSB said.
“The investigation continues to find out what manufacturing documents were used to authorize the opening and shutting of the left [door] plug in the course of the rivet rework,” the NTSB said.
“Boeing appreciates the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board’s work and can review their findings expeditiously. And we are going to proceed to cooperate fully and transparently with the NTSB and the FAA investigations,” the corporate said in an announcement.
The accident prompted a grounding of the Max 9 by the Federal Aviation Administration for much of last month. A lot of the Max 9 planes within the U.S. have returned to service.
Boeing’s CEO, Dave Calhoun, under pressure to deal with manufacturing defects which have delayed aircraft deliveries, has said the corporate is accountable for what went incorrect.
“We caused the issue,” Calhoun said on a Jan. 31 earnings call. “Over these previous few weeks, I’ve had tough conversations with our customers, with our regulators, congressional leaders and more. We understand why they’re offended, and we are going to work to earn their confidence.”
The FAA can also be auditing Boeing’s production lines and last month said it will stop the corporate from increasing output of the bestselling Max jet beyond the present 38 a month it’s producing until regulators are satisfied with its manufacturing processes.
The Jan. 5 accident occurred just as Boeing was attempting to ramp up output.
“As we review the NTSB’s preliminary report, we remain focused on working closely with Boeing and our regulators on continuous improvement in our processes and meeting the best standards of safety, quality and reliability,” Spirit said in an announcement.
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