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Security checkpoints have loose bolts on grounded passenger planes, raising more questions about how best-selling planes are built.
By Andrew Ross Sorkin, Ravi Mattu, Bernhard Warner, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. from Los Angeles Merced, Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni
Boeing’s problems deepen after protection inspectors from Alaska Airlines and United Airlines discovered loose bolts on some grounded 737 Max jets, drawing attention to the quality of the inspection procedure for one of the world’s best-selling airplane models.
The findings raise questions about whether regulators will call for broader safety recommendations for the grounded Max 9 planes. They also intensify pressure on David Calhoun, Boeing’s C.E.O.
He hired to repair the company’s reputation in 2020 in the wake of Max’s accidents in Asia and Africa, but many of the key criticisms about its suppliers’ production and reliability remain.
Boeing’s shares tumbled 8 percent on Monday, making it the worst performer on the S&P 500. They were down nearly 0.9 percent today in premarket trading.
The focus is on whether the aircraft’s panel is properly secured. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that four locking bolts are typically used to firmly hold the sign, or door guard, in place. But the plug, which was recovered from a science teacher’s garden in Oregon, didn’t involve such bolts. “We don’t know if they were there or if, again, they came out of the violent explosive decompression event,” said Jennifer Homendy of the NTSB chair. .
The affected aircraft entered service in November and had already received 3 warnings about cabin pressure, the N. T. S. B. reported. said.
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