The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States recommends airlines to inspect more door plugs on Boeing aircraft models. Earlier this month, a Boeing aircraft made an emergency landing in mid air due to a door stopper falling off.
The FAA issued a statement on Sunday evening, recommending that operators conduct a visual inspection of the Boeing 737-900ER central exit hatch plugs - a commonly used non-destructive testing method in quality control processes - to ensure that the hatch is properly secured. Previously, some airlines reported unspecified issues with bolts.
The statement states that the Boeing 737-900ER does not belong to the 737 MAX fleet, but has the same door stopper design as the Boeing 737 Max 9.
On January 5th, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger plane of Alaska Airlines in the United States experienced an accident in the air. A door stopper on the side of the cabin fell off, and the plane immediately made an emergency landing.
The FAA subsequently ordered a temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by American airlines or within the United States for safety checks. According to investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States, this aircraft model only flew for a few months.
According to the FAA, the operating time of the Boeing 737-900ER model has exceeded 11 million hours, with a flight cycle of approximately 4 million times.
Boeing delivered approximately 500 737-900ER aircraft between 2007 and 2019. According to the FAA, none of the aircraft's door plugs have experienced serious problems.
The FAA stated in a statement that some airlines "discovered bolt issues during maintenance inspections of the 737-900ER aircraft," but did not provide a detailed explanation of what these issues were. The agency stated that it will continue to evaluate data related to the central exit hatch door stopper and may order additional action if necessary.
Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines have all stated that they have started inspecting the door plugs of their 737-900ER fleet. No operator expects any disruption to their operations.
The FAA also stated on Sunday that MAX 9 aircraft will continue to be grounded until "they are confident that they can safely resume operation.".
Boeing's stock price fell slightly by 0.04% on Monday to $214.93. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has fallen by about 15%.