vanishing point Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 For those interested in how the door plug is designed, watch this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Boeing 737 Max 9: United Airlines finds loose bolts during inspections 8th January 2024, 15:14 GMT-7 Share NTSB Agents from the National Transportation Safety Board have recovered the plane's door plug Bolts in need of "additional tightening" have been found during inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9s, United Airlines has said. Inspections began after a section of the fuselage fell from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 on Friday. United Airlines said "installation issues" relating to door plugs would be "remedied" before the aircraft type would return to service. Some 171 planes of the same type remain grounded by the US regulator. In its statement, United said: "Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug - for example, bolts that needed additional tightening." The door plug is a piece of fuselage with a window that can be used as an emergency exit in certain configurations. It was this part of the Alaska Airlines plane which dramatically fell off mid-flight over the US state of Oregon, eventually landing in a teacher's back garden. The plane made an emergency landing and none of the passengers were injured. US plane had warnings days before mid-air blowout 'Days-long search for plane's blown-out panel ended by teacher The vast majority of Boeing 737 Max 9s used in the US are operated by United Airlines and Alaska, while Turkish Airlines, Panama's Copa Airlines and Aeromexico have also grounded jets of the same model for inspections. United said it had cancelled 200 flights as of Monday and expected significant cancellations on Tuesday. "We have been able to operate some planned flights by switching to other aircraft types, avoiding about 30 cancellations each on Monday and Tuesday," United added. Meanwhile on Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates air travel in the US, said it had provided a checklist for operators to adhere to during inspections. In a statement, the FAA said all 737 Max 9 aircraft would remain grounded until operators "complete enhanced inspections which include both left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components, and fasteners". "Operators must also complete corrective action requirements based on findings from the inspections prior to bringing any aircraft back into service," the statement added. Flight 1282 reached 16,000ft (4.8km) when it began its emergency descent on Friday evening, according to flight tracking data. Images shared online - and later by investigators - showed a wide hole in the side of the craft, with oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling. Passengers were quoted by The Oregonian newspaper as saying that a young boy seated near the affected area had his shirt ripped off by the force of the decompression. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is leading an investigation into the incident, said pilots had reported pressurisation warning lights on three previous flights made by the specific Alaska Airlines Max 9 involved in the incident. The jet had been prevented from making long-haul flights over water so that the plane "could return very quickly to an airport" in the event the warnings happened again, NTSB chief Jennifer Homendy said. It is not clear if there is a link between the issues that led to those warnings, and the issue that caused the blowout on 5 January. Alaska Airlines said in its most recent statement: "While we await the airworthiness directive (AD) inspection criteria from the FAA and Boeing, our maintenance teams are prepared and ready to perform the required inspections of the mid exit door plugs on our 737-9 Max fleet. "The 737-9 Max grounding has significantly impacted our operation. We have cancelled 170 Sunday flights and 60 cancellations for Monday, with more expected." Boeing said in a statement: "Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers." The company's 737 Max has been described as "the most scrutinised transport aircraft in history" after a series of safety issues. In late 2018 and early 2019, two of its aircraft were lost in near identical incidents, off the coast of Indonesia and outside the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. A total of 346 people were killed. Both crashes were caused by flawed flight control software, which ultimately forced the planes into catastrophic dives, despite the best efforts of the pilots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 43 minutes ago, Malcolm said: Bolts in need of "additional tightening" have been found during inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9s, United Airlines has said. A torque wrench might come in handy. Perhaps they don't use them at the Boeing plant. I've heard stories... like Quality Inspectors with zero aviation experience, just a 2 week course.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deicer Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 If that phone that was found was my Apple iPhone, I would be calling Apple to brag about the durability of their phone to fall 16,000 feet and still work Maybe they would cough up a new one for me.....and my family...and friends ????? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airband Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Alaska Air 737 Jet Spent Days in Oklahoma for Wi-Fi Upgrade Aircraft seen without Wi-Fi dome in November, hump added later The blown-out panel on the 737 Max 9. The Wi-Fi dome is visible above the exploded section Tue Jan 09, 2024 - Bloomberg News By Siddharth Vikram Philip and Mary Schlangenstein The Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet that suffered a mid-air structural failure on Jan. 5 spent 10 days in Oklahoma City in the previous weeks to receive a Wi-Fi installation at a partner’s base. The Boeing Co. aircraft, with the tail number N704AL, flew into Oklahoma City on Nov. 27, according to tracking website Flightaware.com, and returned to Seattle on Dec. 7. That’s also the day when the National Transportation Safety Board says the aircraft first displayed a pressurization warning light. Images of aircraft from Nov. 22 showed the Boeing 737 Max 9 jet without the typical dome antenna used for on-board Wi-Fi service. Photos after the accident reveal a dome just above the walled-off emergency exit opening from which the plug fell out at 16,000 feet, leading to a temporary grounding of much of the 737 Max 9 fleet. Investigators are trying to determine what prompted a large panel to eject from a practically new aircraft, leaving passengers exposed to a gaping hole during flight. Investors have zeroed in on Boeing’s possible role and that of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc., which makes the fuselage for the 737 jet, sending the shares of both companies tumbling. AAR Corp., an Alaska Air’s maintenance partner, said in a statement that it “did not perform any work on or near any mid-cabin exit door plug of that specific aircraft.” The company confirmed that it was contracted by the airline to perform a Wi-Fi modification on the jet, carried out from Nov. 27 to Dec. 7. Alaska Air Group Inc., the carrier’s parent company, declined to comment until it obtains necessary NTSB permission to provide information about the aircraft and prior maintenance. Bob Mann, head of consultancy RW Mann & Co., said that fitting a Wi-Fi dome would probably mean taking off one or two panels adjacent to the spot on the crown of the fuselage where the antenna is mounted and the wiring is fed through. “They wouldn’t have to take that door plug out,” Mann said. The NTSB said in a briefing on Jan. 7 that its inspectors want to look into the pressurization system, saying the warning light “is certainly a concern” — and at the maintenance and repair logs to see if there is any link to the accident. The pressurization lights came on three times between Dec. 7 and the accident, according to the NTSB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deicer Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falken Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Good time to buy BA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specs Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deicer Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 If only those so talented in creating funny memes would devote their time to some higher purpose..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 I can laugh at them because no one was hurt. Boeing should see this as a sign. It's never a good thing when one of your flagship products becomes a straight line for the comedy circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deicer Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 3 hours ago, Seeker said: If only those so talented in creating funny memes would devote their time to some higher purpose..... https://positivepsychology.com/humor-psychology/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deicer Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deicer Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falken Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 I guess I shouldn't have bought BA stock after it dropped $20.00 on Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W5 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Undamaged plug exit on Alaska Max 9 had fasteners tightened during assembly https://theaircurrent.com/aviation-safety/undamaged-plug-exit-on-alaska-max-9-had-fasteners-tightened-during-assembly/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 9 hours ago, Seeker said: If only those so talented in creating funny memes would devote their time to some higher purpose..... C'mon, I thought the Sim one was pretty funny.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deicer Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 14 hours ago, conehead said: C'mon, I thought the Sim one was pretty funny.. I'm quite aware that the comments I am about to make will make me sound dry, boring and without humour. A joke explained is a joke ruined. I tend to find a lot of these memes to be weak efforts at humour. They are a sort of "first-order" humour. I'll try to explain. Take the duct tape 737 picture - funny for the giant roll of duct tape and tape wrapped around the fuselage. That's it. The joke is on one level. For a joke/meme to be worth the effort it must work on at least 2 levels and even better if you can achieve 3. A far better meme would be the duct tape aircraft picture with the caption; "Boeing's announces new co-branded 737 in partnership with 3M to replace Disney-themed version". or "Boeing's new co-branded 737 in partnership with 3M which is in no way associated with recent events - merely a co-incidence says CEO." Now, these are not great either but they illustrate my point (hopefully). The picture is the first level joke, the reference to a company trying to hide their problems or distract from them is the second level. The one that comes the closest is the INOP sticker picture. Funny for the over-sized sticker over the door opening and on the second level for the reference to the several occurrences of pressurization snags in the days preceding the event. The simulator meme could be improved with the caption; "Boeing's latest 737 simulator sets new high standard for realistic crew training." Or; "FAA sets new simulator training protocols for Boeing crews". Some talented person photo-shopped the open door onto the side of the simulator but missed 75% of the joke - that's my point. They didn't have it to begin with. To be clear I don't normally sit around dissecting memes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Boeing: US regulator to increase oversight of firm after blowout 12th January 2024, 08:23 GMT-7 Share Getty Images US authorities are stepping up oversight of Boeing's manufacturing line a week after a door plug broke off one of its planes mid-flight. The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said he believed there were "significant problems" with the 737-9 Max jet as well as "other manufacturing problems". The FAA said it would conduct an audit of the plane's production line. It also plans to review who is in charge of quality oversight. For years, the FAA has delegated some parts of quality reviewing of planes to Boeing, but the practice has been controversial, drawing repeated warnings of safety risks. "It is time to re-examine the delegation of authority and assess any associated safety risks," FAA administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. "The grounding of the 737-9 and the multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk. The FAA is exploring the use of an independent third party to oversee Boeing's inspections and its quality system." Boeing did not immediately comment. US launches Boeing investigation after blowout Mid-flight blowout a big problem for Boeing The US aerospace giant has been struggling to restore confidence after crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving a different plane in the 737 Max group killed 346 people. Poor design of a piece of its flight control system was found to play a role, and authorities grounded its popular 737 Max planes globally for more than 18 months. Lax oversight by the FAA was also faulted. Boeing has reported a string of smaller manufacturing issues as production resumed. The blowout on the Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon to California, which forced an emergency landing but resulted in no serious injuries, has revived scrutiny. Passengers on the flight have filed a class action lawsuit against Boeing. Their lawyers described the incident as a "nightmare experience" that had caused "economic, physical and ongoing emotional consequences that have understandably deeply affected our clients". The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating what happened on the plane, which had been in service for just eight weeks. On Thursday, the FAA formally announced an inquiry into Boeing's processes. It has also grounded 171 planes - most of the 737-9 Max fleet - with similar door plugs for inspections, which have revealed loose bolts and other issues. Boeing has said it will cooperate fully and transparently with the probes. Supplier Spirit Aerosystems is also involved. Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun has already said the company will admit its "mistake" and has described the issue as a "quality escape". The FAA's Mr Whitaker told CNBC that officials believed there were "other manufacturing problems". Companies Aviation accidents and incidents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 6 hours ago, Seeker said: I'm quite aware that the comments I am about to make will make me sound dry, boring and without humour. A joke explained is a joke ruined. I tend to find a lot of these memes to be weak efforts at humour. They are a sort of "first-order" humour. I'll try to explain. Take the duct tape 737 picture - funny for the giant roll of duct tape and tape wrapped around the fuselage. That's it. The joke is on one level. For a joke/meme to be worth the effort it must work on at least 2 levels and even better if you can achieve 3. A far better meme would be the duct tape aircraft picture with the caption; "Boeing's announces new co-branded 737 in partnership with 3M to replace Disney-themed version". or "Boeing's new co-branded 737 in partnership with 3M which is in no way associated with recent events - merely a co-incidence says CEO." Now, these are not great either but they illustrate my point (hopefully). The picture is the first level joke, the reference to a company trying to hide their problems or distract from them is the second level. The one that comes the closest is the INOP sticker picture. Funny for the over-sized sticker over the door opening and on the second level for the reference to the several occurrences of pressurization snags in the days preceding the event. The simulator meme could be improved with the caption; "Boeing's latest 737 simulator sets new high standard for realistic crew training." Or; "FAA sets new simulator training protocols for Boeing crews". Some talented person photo-shopped the open door onto the side of the simulator but missed 75% of the joke - that's my point. They didn't have it to begin with. To be clear I don't normally sit around dissecting memes. While there certainly can be multiple levels of humour, I don't think there needs to be. When I first glanced at the meme, it made me smile. That's humour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 31 minutes ago, conehead said: While there certainly can be multiple levels of humour, I don't think there needs to be. When I first glanced at the meme, it made me smile. That's humour. Airline Humour ? RESCANCEL.mp4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 1 hour ago, conehead said: This is aimed at the wrong parties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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