Alaska Airlines Technicians Find Loose Hardware on Boeing 737-9s

DALLAS — Alaska Airlines (AS) has just provided an update stating that they are still waiting for final documentation from Boeing and the FAA before they can begin the formal inspection process.

However, during the preparation for inspections on its Boeing 737-9 fleet, AS' maintenance technicians discovered some loose hardware on certain aircraft. Once they can proceed with the formal inspection process, the airline says all aircraft will undergo a thorough inspection, following detailed instructions from the FAA in consultation with Boeing. Any findings will be addressed to meet safety standards and FAA compliance, according to the airline update.

The inspection process will involve documenting all findings, which will be reported to the FAA. No aircraft will be put back into service until these steps are completed. AS said it was prioritizing the safety of these aircraft and would work closely with the FAA to ensure their airworthiness by taking the necessary time and steps.

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United Airlines' Evidence of Installation Issues

Alaska Airlines' latest update comes on the heels of United Airlines (UA) discovering loose bolts used to install the door plug on some of its Boeing 737-9 aircraft. UA is the largest operator of the Boeing 737-9 variant of the MAX series.

Following the Flight 1202 accident, the FAA grounded all variants of the Boeing 737 aircraft in the United States and mandated immediate inspections of the affected area on the aircraft. UA, which has a fleet of 79 Boeing 737-9 aircraft, anticipated that the FAA would require inspections and began preparing its aircraft for inspection on the previous Saturday.

United said in a statement, “Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug—for example, bolts that needed additional tightening. These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service.”

Stay tuned to Airways, as NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy will give the third briefing to the media in Portland, Oregon, on the NTSB Flight 1282 investigation tonight at 20:00 local time.

Featured image: NTSB