Missing Bolts Led to Emergency Landing of Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9
In a recent incident that sent shockwaves through the aviation industry, it has been revealed that missing bolts were the cause of an emergency landing of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on the incident, stating that the absence of certain damage on the plane indicates that all four bolts were missing before the aircraft took off from Portland, Oregon.
The missing bolts were responsible for securing a panel to the frame of the Boeing 737 Max 9. Without these bolts, the panel was able to slide upward and detach from the “stop pads” that held it in place. This resulted in a harrowing emergency landing for the Alaska Airlines pilots, who managed to safely land the plane despite a hole in its side. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.
The NTSB report included a photo from Boeing, which showed that three of the four bolts were missing. The location of the fourth bolt was obscured by insulation. The report also revealed that the plane had arrived at Boeing’s factory near Seattle with five damaged rivets near the door plug, which had been installed by supplier Spirit AeroSystems. A Spirit crew had replaced the rivets, necessitating the removal of the four bolts and the opening of the plug. However, the report did not specify who removed the bolts.
The lack of documentation regarding who did what and when the bolts went missing has raised concerns among lawmakers. Senator Tammy Duckworth expressed her frustration at Boeing’s failure to keep records, stating, “They didn’t write any of this down.” She emphasized that while Boeing bears responsibility for the incident, there may be multiple points of failure that contributed to the situation.
Boeing’s CEO, David Calhoun, acknowledged the company’s accountability and stated, “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.” However, the NTSB has not yet determined the probable cause of the accident, and a thorough investigation is expected to take place over the next year or longer.
Safety experts have highlighted the potentially catastrophic consequences if the Alaska Airlines jet had reached cruising altitude. The decompression in the cabin after the panel blowout would have been far stronger, posing a significant risk to passengers and flight attendants who might have been walking around instead of being securely seated.
Following the incident, Alaska and United Airlines conducted inspections on their other Boeing 737 Max 9s. Loose hardware, including loose bolts, was discovered in some of the door plugs. Boeing stated that none of the other Alaska and United Max 9s were found to be missing the critical bolts.
This incident has further raised concerns about manufacturing quality at Boeing, which initially surfaced after the tragic crashes of two Boeing 737 Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019, resulting in the loss of 346 lives. In 2021, Boeing reached a settlement with the Justice Department to avoid criminal prosecution related to a charge of conspiring to defraud government regulators by providing inaccurate information about a flight-control system implicated in the crashes.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating whether Boeing and its suppliers followed proper safety procedures during the manufacturing process of the Max. The FAA has also temporarily halted Boeing from increasing production of 737s until it is satisfied with the resolution of quality issues. FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker stated that the agency is halfway through a six-week audit of manufacturing processes at Boeing and its key supplier, Spirit AeroSystems.
Spirit AeroSystems, which was spun off as a separate company by Boeing nearly two decades ago, has expressed its commitment to working with Boeing and regulators to improve processes and ensure the highest standards of safety, quality, and reliability.
The grounding of Alaska Airlines’ 65 Max 9s is estimated to cost the carrier $150 million, with expectations of compensation from Boeing. United Airlines also anticipates losses in the first quarter due to the grounding and is preparing for a future without new, larger Max jets that have yet to receive FAA approval.
As the investigation into this incident continues, the aviation industry anxiously awaits answers regarding what went wrong with the Max 9 and what can be done to prevent such incidents in the future. The safety of passengers and crew remains paramount, and it is crucial for Boeing and its suppliers to address any manufacturing issues and ensure the highest level of quality and safety standards are upheld.