January 10, 2024
Page 7
Martin Luther King Jr.
2024 Special Edition
Plane Blowout Raises Concerns
Loose parts
in door
panels during
inspection
AP-Federal investigators say
a door panel slid up before fly-
ing off an Alaska Airlines jetlin-
er last week, and they are look-
ing at whether four bolts that
were supposed to help hold the
panel in place might have been
missing when the plane took off.
The comments Monday from the
National Transportation Safety
Board came shortly after Alas-
ka and United Airlines reported
separately that they found loose
parts in the panels — or door
plugs — of some other Boeing
737 Max 9 jets.
“Since we began preliminary
inspections on Saturday, we
have found instances that appear
to relate to installation issues
in the door plug — for exam-
ple, bolts that needed addition-
al tightening,” Chicago-based
United said. Alaska said that as
it began examining its Max 9s,
“Initial reports from our tech-
prevent the mechanism from
moving upward on rollers when
the plane is in flight. The find-
ings of investigators and the air-
lines are ratcheting up pressure
on Boeing to address concerns
that have grown since the terri-
fying fuselage blowout Friday
night. A plug covering a spot left
for an emergency door tore off
the plane as it flew 16,000 feet
(4,800 meters) above Oregon.
Boeing has called an online
meeting for all employees Tues-
day to discuss safety.
The company, which has had
problems with various planes
over the years, pledged to “help
address any and all findings”
that airlines make during their
inspections of Max 9 jets. Boe-
ing has delivered more than 200
to customers around the world,
but 171 of them were grounded
by the Federal Aviation Admin-
istration on Saturday until the
door plugs can be inspected and,
if necessary, fixed. During Alas-
This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the door plug from Alaska
Airlines Flight 1282 on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A panel used to plug an area reserved ka Airlines flight 1282 on Friday
for an exit door on the Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner blew out Jan. 5, shortly after the flight took off from night, roller guides at the top of
Portland, forcing the plane to return to Portland International Airport. (National Transportation Safety one of the plugs broke — for
reasons the investigators don't
Board via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press
fully understand yet — allowing
nicians indicate some loose doors would be located on Max they replace heavy doors with the entire panel to swing upward
hardware was visible on some 9s with more than about 200 the plugs.
aircraft.” The door plugs are seats. Alaska and United have
The panels can be opened for
Continued on Page 23
inserted where emergency exit fewer seats in their Max 9s, so maintenance work. The bolts
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability
but comes through continuous struggle."
- M a r t i n L u t h e r K i n g J r .
F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t
Tiffani Penson
tiffani.penson@portlandoregon.gov
503.823.8866
www.portlandoregon.gov
Bureau of Environmental Services
Bureau of Human Resources
Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Bureau of Revenue and Financial Services
Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler
Office of Rene Gonzalez
Portland Bureau of Transportation