The agency’s comments follow statements by both Alaska and United Airlines about loose bolts on door panels of several of their grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.
Topline
Federal investigators are trying to establish if the door panel that blew off an Alaska Airlines jet last week was properly bolted in place, National Transportation Safety Board officials said late on Monday, hours after both United and Alaska Airlines found loose bolts on door panels of several of their grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.Key Facts
In a press conference in Portland on Monday night, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said the agency is probing if the bolts meant to secure the panel were missing when the aircraft took off or “came out during the violent, explosive decompression event.”
The panel or door plug that blew off the Alaska Airlines plane is used in place of an optional emergency exit door in planes with less dense seating arrangements.
