The part of the fuselage that broke off from a Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane during flight on January 5 was apparently missing four essential screws, a preliminary report from US investigators said, providing the first official look at how the crash occurred .
Lawmakers and passengers are desperate for answers about why part of the fuselage of a new plane operated by Alaska Airlines was torn off, an incident that has turned into a widespread safety and reputational crisis for Boeing.
According to the independent report from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), photographic evidence released on Tuesday shows that screws were missing from the panel cover, which had been removed to repair rivets damaged during the manufacturing process.
“The investigation continues to determine which manufacturing documents were used to authorize the opening and closing of the cap during riveting,” the report reads.
After the crash, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the grounding for inspections of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes, most of which were operated by North American carriers United Airlines and Alaska Airlines. The aircraft was cleared to return to air service at the end of January.
Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said Tuesday that “whatever the ultimate conclusion is, Boeing is responsible for what happened.”
“An event like this cannot happen on a plane leaving our factory,” he said.
Boeing added that it has “implemented a control plan to ensure that all 737-9 center exit door plugs are installed according to specifications.”
The NTSB focused on how the panel, installed on this MAX 9 model in place of an optional outlet, became detached from the plane. The plug is held in place by four screws and then secured by fixtures at 12 different points along the side and door frame.
The NTSB did not recover the bolts at the scene and performed extensive testing and analysis to determine whether they were present before the crash or whether they were stripped during the crash.
All 12 attachments were disabled during the event, the NTSB reported in January.
The hood was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems, a former Boeing subsidiary split from the parent company in 2005. The part was produced at its factories in Malaysia and delivered to Spirit’s factories in Wichita, Kansas, in May 2023.
The plug in question arrived at Boeing’s Renton, Washington plant on August 31. A Sept. 1 report showed damage to rivets in the cowl structure, according to the NTSB report. Four screws had to be removed to repair the damage, and a photo in the report shows three visible spots where screws are missing, with the fourth spot covered by insulation.
“Photographic documentation obtained from Boeing shows evidence that the left MED connector was closed without any retainers (screws) in the three visible locations,” the report states. MED is the abbreviation for intermediate exit port in English.
Both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines said in the days after the crash that they found loose parts on several grounded MAX 9 planes.
The FAA has taken a tougher line against Boeing than in the past. In late January, it banned Boeing from expanding production of its 737 MAX planes due to quality issues. This means it can continue to produce MAX jets at its current rate, but cannot increase it.
“I certainly agree that the current system doesn’t work because it doesn’t provide safe airplanes,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told lawmakers Tuesday.
“So we need to make changes to this.”
Source: Terra
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