The Alaska Airlines Boeing was missing four bolts.
Who's responsible for the near-disaster of an Alaska Airlines plane in January? While aircraft manufacturer Boeing faces intense pressure following the incident and other mishaps, fuselage supplier Spirit is exonerated in a current hearing.
US accident investigators found that four fastening bolts were missing from the fuselage section that a Boeing plane lost during a climb at the start of the year. When the fuselage was delivered from supplier Spirit to the aircraft manufacturer, they were still in place, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) emphasized in a hearing on the incident. At Boeing, the fasteners were then removed for work on five adjacent rivets, it was reported further.
The 737-9 MAX plane was then delivered to Alaska Airlines without the bolts. A few months later, the fuselage section covering a door opening broke off shortly after takeoff. Of the 171 people on board, eight reported minor injuries. Following the incident, Boeing faced intense pressure to improve its quality controls. Boeing also plans to bring Spirit back under its corporate umbrella through an acquisition.
A Spirit manager said at the hearing that a fuselage for the 737 models consists of around 18,000 components and requires about 200,000 fasteners like rivets. Spirit manufactures the fuselage for all 737 aircraft.
The NTSB experts, among the most renowned in the world, are tasked with investigating all possible causes of accidents in transportation. While the board can only make recommendations, its findings carry weight and consequences.
At the start of the two-day public hearing in Washington, DC, the NTSB asked Boeing and Spirit to explain their production and error-correction procedures in detail. It was also revealed that there should have been more documents related to the work on the fuselage section than the company initially provided to the NTSB. "We won't adjourn until all questions are answered," emphasized board chair Jennifer Homendy.
The missing bolts that caused the issue with the Alaska Airlines plane originated from Spirit, as they were still present when the fuselage was delivered to Boeing. Despite the incident, Alaska Airlines received the 737-9 MAX plane without the necessary fasteners.
