United Airlines finds loose bolts on 737 Max 9 planes

According to United Airlines, during inspections of several Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, loose bolts were discovered on the door plugs following a recent panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight.

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded dozens of 737 Max 9 aircraft on Saturday, January 6, following the horrifying event on Alaska Flight 1282. This led to multiple inspections.

“The safety of these aircraft is our priority and we will take the time and steps necessary to ensure their airworthiness, in close partnership with the FAA,” said the carrier.

United will not disclose the number of aircraft with loose bolts. “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,” United stated in a statement. “These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service.”

United stated that it had to cancel 200 Max 9 flights on Monday as a result of the emergency inspections, and it anticipates “significant cancellations” on Tuesday as well.

Boeing released a statement on Monday evening in response to United’s findings, stating, “We are keeping in close contact with operators as they conduct the required inspections and will help address any findings.” We are dedicated to making sure that every Boeing aircraft satisfies the highest safety and quality standards as well as design requirements. We are regretful about the effect this has had on our clients’ passengers.

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