A crucial prohibition prevents Boeing from increasing the manufacturing of Max Jet, including the 737-9 Max model, as part of the conditional pathway for the FAA’s announcement of the start of Boeing 737 Max 9 flights.
This decision is the result of a recent occurrence whereby the FAA temporarily grounded flights and began a thorough assessment after discovering that a portion of an Alaska Airlines flight had been hacked.
Alaska Airlines acted pro-actively in the wake of the fuselage breach event, grounding all 65 of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. Boeing is required by the FAA order to carry out a thorough examination and maintenance procedure for the 171 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft that are grounded.
Successful completion of this process is a prerequisite for the aircraft to be considered eligible for service return. The FAA’s decision is informed by a meticulous review of data obtained from inspections conducted on 40 grounded planes.
The approved inspection and maintenance procedures encompass a comprehensive evaluation of exit door plugs and associated components, bolts, and guide tracks, and the rectification of any identified damage.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker emphasized that the thorough review does not signify a return to “business as usual for Boeing.”
Concurrently, the National Transportation Safety Board is actively investigating the incident, focusing on determining whether the door panel that dislodged from the Alaska Airlines flight was adequately bolted before takeoff.
Despite locating the plane’s plug door, the investigative team is yet to recover the associated bolts.
In response to this incident, the FAA issued a recommendation for airlines to inspect door plugs on Boeing 737-900ER aircraft, a different model. The agency underscored the identical design of the door plugs in the 737-900ER and the Max 9, urging airlines to scrutinize four specific points where bolts secure the door to the airframe of the 737-900ER.
