WASHINGTON — The investigation into the door that flew off of an airplane mid-flight is still ongoing. The door plug arrived in D.C. on Friday for further investigation.
On January 5, federal officials had to order an immediate grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 after the plane suffered a blowout. The FAA has extended the grounding of the jetliners until each one passes inspections. The required inspection takes anywhere between four to eight hours per aircraft. Currently, there are over 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 models in use worldwide.
Many have been speculating how something like this could even happen. Apparently, the part that failed on the Alaska flight is installed on some Boeing jets that do not have enough seats to require extra emergency exits.
The plugs are lighter than actual aircraft doors, reducing the plane's weight and saving fuel. This is commonly found on cargo planes that have been converted from passenger use.
According to our partners at the Associated Press, investigators said they know what happened leading up to the event, but they do not know the cause. A key question is whether the bolts used to help secure the panel, called a door plug, were installed.
A National Transportation Safety Board Investigator said they have not been able to locate the bolts and the agency won’t know if they were even in place until the door arrives at the laboratory in Washington, D.C.
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