United finds loose bolts on 737 Max 9 planes in wake of Alaska Airlines door plug incident

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United finds loose bolts on 737 Max 9 planes in wake of Alaska Airlines door plug incident

United Airlines says that it has found loose bolts during inspections of its 737 Max 9 fleet in the wake of a door plug getting blown out of an Alaska Airlines plane.

abcnews.go.com

The FAA has grounded all 737 Max 9s in the interim. United is cancelling hundreds of flights.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident involving the Alaska Airlines flight near Portland, Oregon, has yet to comment on the United Airlines announcement.

NTSB investigators recovered the door plug that fell off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Sunday, giving them the key piece of evidence they are examining with a laboratory microscope.

The plug, measuring 26-by-46 inches and weighing 63 pounds, was discovered intact Sunday evening in the backyard of a Portland teacher's home, according to NTSB officials.

The part fell off the plane, a Boeing 737 Max 9, around 5:11 p.m. local time Friday as the aircraft with 171 passengers, including three babies and four unaccompanied minors, had climbed to 16,000 feet after taking off from Portland International Airport, according to the NTSB.

When the door plug fell off on the Alaska flight, they were still at 16,000 feet, and no one was hurt. However, they said if it happened at 30,000 feet, it could have been much worse. Still, it's always advisable to keep your seat belt on during the entire flight.