US Aviation Watchdog Recommends Expanded Checks On Boeing 737 Fleet After MAX 9 Door-Plug Incident

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has advised airlines to conduct checks on Boeing Co BA 737-900ER jets due to potential issues with door plugs. This comes after the grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes following a mid-air cabin blowout incident.

What Happened: The FAA issued a recommendation on Sunday for airlines to inspect the door plugs on their Boeing 737-900ER aircraft, Reuters reported. The directive follows reports of unspecified bolt issues during inspections by some operators.

The 737-900ER, although not part of the newer MAX fleet, shares the same optional door plug design. This design allows for the addition of an extra emergency exit door when carriers choose to install more seats.

The FAA has recommended that air carriers perform crucial parts of a fuselage plug assembly maintenance procedure related to the four bolts used to secure the door plug to the airframe “as soon as possible.”

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Boeing, the manufacturer, has expressed full support for the FAA’s recommendation. The company’s 737-900ER aircraft have been in operation since 2007, with the last delivery made in 2019.

Why It Matters: The FAA’s recommendation comes in the wake of a series of incidents involving Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The planes were grounded after a mid-air cabin blowout on an Alaska Air Group Inc ALK MAX 9 jet, leading to a comprehensive inspection of the entire fleet.

Earlier this month, United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL discovered loose bolts in several grounded 737 MAX 9 airplanes, further raising concerns about the manufacturing processes of Boeing’s top-selling jet family. This discovery came after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated MAX 9 plane during a flight.

Boeing, in response to the mid-flight panel blowout incident, agreed to revise its inspection guidelines for the 737 MAX 9 airplanes. The FAA declared that the aircraft manufacturing giant will modify its inspection guidelines in response to the incident.

Despite the ongoing crisis, the FAA’s recent recommendation for the 737-900ER checks is a step towards ensuring the safety and reliability of Boeing’s aircraft.

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