Alaska Airlines finds loose screws on many Boeing 737s

Alaska Airlines says an inspection following a door seal incident found loose screws on several Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

"I'm not just disappointed, I'm really angry. This happened to Alaska Airlines, to our passengers and to the American people," Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Airlines, told NBC News on January 23, after discovering that many of the airline's Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes had loose screws.

Alaska Airlines conducts internal inspections of its 737 MAX 9 fleet after a door panel on one of its planes came loose from the fuselage on January 5. The incident left a large hole in the fuselage, causing a sharp drop in cabin pressure and a large amount of belongings to be sucked out. The pilot then quickly reduced altitude and made an emergency landing, with all 177 people on board safe.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) immediately requested all 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in the country to temporarily stop flying for inspection after the incident.

Mr Minicucci has called on Boeing to “improve internal quality processes” at the US aircraft maker.

The part that came loose during the Boeing 737 MAX 9 crash in the US on January 5. Photo:X/ FL360aero — The part that came loose during the Boeing 737 MAX 9 crash in the US on January 5. Photo: *X/ FL360aero*

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun is scheduled to testify before US senators today to address questions about the grounding of the 737 MAX.

"This investigation needs to find out what went wrong, what caused the incident and, importantly, make sure it doesn't happen again," said Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

The recent MAX incidents have also prompted United Airlines, a longtime Boeing customer, to reconsider its multi-billion dollar order for the 737 MAX 10 fleet.

In a safety alert on January 21, the FAA advised airlines to inspect the door seals on the Boeing 737-900ER series. The 737-900ER is not part of the 737 MAX family, but the two models share the same door seal design. The FAA said that some airlines had inspected the door seals on the 737-900ER during maintenance and found “some issues with the fasteners.”

The mid-air disintegration of the 737 MAX 9 aircraft's fuselage may increase doubts about the quality of Boeing aircraft after a series of accidents, according to observers.

Thanh Tam (According to AFP, Reuters )

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