The US National Transportation Safety Board investigation team announced late on the 7th that a "key component" that fell off in the air on the 5th of a Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger plane has been found. This will help find the cause of the latest aviation safety accident of Boeing 737 Max series passenger aircraft. On the 8th, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines both announced that they found loose bolts on multiple aircraft of the same model.
The fallen hatch was found
Shortly after taking off from Portland, Oregon, on the 5th of a Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger plane operated by Alaska Airlines, a closed hatch fell off near the left wing of the cabin. The passenger plane made an emergency landing and there were no casualties.
This is the interior of the Alaska Airlines passenger plane that was involved in the accident at Portland International Airport in Oregon, USA, on January 5 (photographed with a mobile phone). Xinhua News Agency/AP
Jennifer Homendy, chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board, led the investigation team to Portland on the 6th. She told a news conference that night that the hatch may have fallen "west of Portland, near Oregon Highway 217 and Barnes Road." She called on local people to contact law enforcement as soon as possible if they find this component.
html On the 7th, some enthusiastic local residents rode bicycles through the jungle, or used telescopes and drones to help search for the hatch. Later that day, Homendy announced that a middle school teacher found the hatch detached in her backyard.The cabin door of the Alaska Airlines passenger plane that was involved in the accident has been found. The picture comes from the Internet
According to the Associated Press, some larger Boeing 737 models are designed with emergency escape hatches in the cabin behind the wings to meet emergency evacuation regulations, that is, if half of the emergency exits of a passenger aircraft cannot be used, passengers must also Can evacuate within 90 seconds. Therefore, the larger the passenger capacity, the more escape hatches are provided. The Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft ordered by some air operators carry more than 200 passengers. According to emergency evacuation regulations, escape hatches are required on the bulkhead behind the wings. This type of aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines has a passenger capacity of less than 180, so the door in this position is closed.
Some metallurgists and aviation experts believe inspecting the fallen hatch is critical to the investigation. Anthony Brickhouse, an accident investigation expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the United States, said: "They (metal parts) can restore the scene and tell what happened. I believe they (investigators) can explain it scientifically The cause of this accident."
Bolts were loose on multiple aircraft of the same model.
According to reports from the Consumer News and Business Channel (cnbc) and CBS (cbs), on January 8, local time, United Airlines stated that, During an inspection of the grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger aircraft, it was found that the door plug bolts of several aircraft of the same type in the company's fleet were loose. After an Alaska Airlines passenger plane of this type suffered a serious accident in which an emergency door fell off while flying on the 5th, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a temporary grounding of this type of passenger plane on the 6th.
reported that United Airlines has 79 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in its fleet and is the largest operator of this aircraft type. United said in a statement, "Since the initial inspection began on Saturday (6th), we have discovered a number of conditions that appear to be related to the door plug installation issue, such as bolts that require additional tightening. Our technology The operations team will make corrections so that the relevant aircraft can safely resume operations." CBS reported that United Airlines did not disclose how many aircraft had loose bolts and said it was working hard to put the aircraft back into service as soon as possible, but it expected that 9 There will be "a large number of flight cancellations" on the day.
A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger plane (foreign media)
On the evening of January 8, local time, following United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, which had previously experienced a cabin door falling off incident, also issued a statement stating that it was responding to the incident that had previously been carried out by the United States. During inspections of passenger planes of the same model that were grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration, loose parts were found on many aircraft, but no details of the faults were released.
Earlier on the 8th local time, the US Boeing Company stated that it had provided instructions to various airlines on how to inspect the Max 9 passenger aircraft in its fleet.In a statement released on the evening of the 8th, Boeing said, “We are in close contact with operators as they conduct necessary inspections and will help resolve any and all issues discovered. We are committed to ensuring that every aircraft Boeing aircraft comply with design specifications and the highest safety and quality standards. We regret the impact this incident has had on our customers and their passengers."
Source | Comprehensive Xinhua International, Global Times New Media
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