On Monday, United Airlines disclosed that it had discovered loose bolts during inspections of its 737 Max 9 fleet following an incident where a door plug was blown out of an Alaska Airlines plane over the weekend.
United Airlines did not specify the number of planes affected by the loose bolts. In a statement, the airline said, “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.” The statement also assured that United’s Tech Ops team would address these findings to ensure the safe return of the aircraft to service.
All airlines, including United, had been directed by the Federal Aviation Administration to ground their 737 Max 9s in response to the Alaska Airlines incident where a door plug dislodged on Friday. United’s inspections aimed to identify and rectify any potential issues related to the door plug installation.
