01/09/2024

United Airlines Finds Loose Bolts, Other Problems on Grounded Boeing Jets

On Friday, about 170 planes were removed from service

United Airlines says it has found loose bolts and other problems since it started inspecting its grounded Boeing jets, bringing additional scrutiny to the component called a door plug that blew off of a 737 Max 9 aircraft days ago.

"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 carrier said in a statement Monday. "These findings will be remedied by our tech ops team to safely return the aircraft to service."

About 170 planes were removed from service after the incident involving an Alaska Airlines jet that had just taken off from Portland, Oregon on Friday night. United and Alaska are the two major U.S. carriers that fly Boeing jets with this particular configuration of door plugs.

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