China News Service, San Francisco, February 6 (Xinhua) A preliminary investigation report released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the 6th local time showed that the Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger plane that had an inline emergency door falling off in January this year was The bolts are missing from the factory and are key to securing the in-line emergency door.
The 19-page report stated that the fuselage of the passenger plane involved was produced by the American company Spirit Aerospace Systems and was sent to Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington on August 31, 2023. Spirit Aerospace Systems staff replaced five damaged rivets here, which required first removing four bolts and opening the built-in emergency door. The report did not say who removed the bolts.
Photos of the recessed emergency door in the report after it was reinstalled showed that three of the four bolts were missing, and the location of the fourth bolt was covered by insulation material. The aircraft will be delivered to Alaska Airlines at the end of October 2023. The NTSB said there was no evidence that the recessed emergency door was opened again after leaving the Boeing factory.
The report presents only preliminary findings and does not address blame or causes for the incident, which may be revealed in a final report more than a year from now.
After the preliminary investigation report was released, Boeing admitted responsibility for the accident in a statement and said it was working to ensure that such an accident never happens again.
On the evening of January 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft made an emergency return to Portland International Airport due to the built-in emergency door falling. Alaska Airlines said on January 8 that preliminary reports from company technicians showed that some loose parts were visible on some Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. United Airlines also said on the same day that it found some loose bolts on this type of aircraft operated by the company. (over)