'Missing Bolts Found On Door Panel Of Boeing 737 MAX 9 Jet Mid-Flight', Says Report

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "A door panel that flew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet mid-flight on January 5 appeared to be missing four key bolts, according to a preliminary report from the US investigators that provided the first official look into how the frightening mishap took shape.
The flying public and lawmakers demanded answers to what caused the panel to fly off a brand-new Alaska Airlines-operated jet, in what has turned into a full-blown safety and reputational crisis for Boeing, Reuters reported.
In an official statement, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said, \"Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened. An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory. We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers.\"The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes after the incident, most operated by US carriers United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, for inspection. Those planes were cleared to return to service in late January and nearly all are flying again.
On Tuesday, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report focused on how the panel - fitted into this MAX 9 model in place of an optional exit - could have detached from the plane.
The plug is held down by four bolts and then secured by \"stop fittings\" at 12 different locations along the side of the plug and the door frame, as per Reuters reports.
“The failure to re-install bolts on a safety-critical component of this 737 MAX 9 aircraft is a serious error that signals larger quality control lapses that must be corrected,” said Representative Rick Larsen, the top democrat on the committee overseeing the FAA.
A former Boeing subsidiary, Spirit AeroSystems, manufactured the plugin in Malaysia and delivered it to its Wichita, Kansas facility in May 2023. It arrived at Boeing's assembly plant in Renton, Washington on August 31.
Initially, the report included photo evidence that the bolts required to hold the plug in place appeared missing. It found the panel was first removed to repair rivet damage logged by Boeing workers on Sept. 1, a day after the panel arrived in Renton.
Investigators are still trying to determine what documentation was used to authorize the opening and closing of the plug during the rivet repair. It raises questions about who initially installed the bolts and why the door opening at Renton to correct the rivets was not properly documented, said US aviation expert John Cox.
“When was the last time those bolts were installed? Did Spirit not install them and then when Boeing opened it the guys didn't realize that they didn't have the bolts? Or did Boeing not install them? That is something that I don't think we have an answer for yet.”Boeing said it had \"implemented a control plan to ensure all 737-9 mid-exit door plugs are installed according to specifications.\"The panel was found in a backyard in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, but the NTSB did not recover the bolts. The agency also did extensive tests and analysis to determine if they had been present before the crash or had come undone during the incident, it said.
(With Reuters inputs)

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