New York (AFP) – Boeing shares plummeted on Monday after a panel fell off mid-flight on one of its planes, raising safety issues as the manufacturer counted on rebuilding its reputation.
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The fall of more than 8% in Boeing shares on the stock market put pressure on the Dow Jones index.
Added to this is the new request from civil aviation authorities for airlines to comply with new inspection protocols for ships with configurations similar to that of the 737 MAX 9, involved in the incident.
US airline United Airlines said on Monday it had discovered improperly adjusted screws during preliminary inspections of the doors of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes.
United has “encountered cases that appear to be related to installation issues in the door stopper, for example, screws that needed additional tightening,” the company said.
With 79 MAX 9 aircraft, United has the largest fleet of the aircraft in question.
On Friday, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland Airport and shortly afterward the crew reported a “pressurization issue,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The plane quickly returned to Portland. Images posted on social media showed a gaping hole where the side panel had burst, with emergency oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling.
Inspectors were grateful that the incident did not result in fatalities or serious injuries.
“Reinforced inspections”
The area of the plane affected in the incident was a door plug, a panel used to seal an unnecessary emergency exit on planes with smaller seating configurations.
U.S. authorities are still investigating Friday's incident, but analysts have postulated that the failure may have been due to a quality control or manufacturing defect.
On Monday, the FAA announced approval of a roadmap for new inspections including side door latches, components and fasteners.
“Boeing 737-9 aircraft will remain grounded until operators complete enhanced inspections,” the FAA said on X, formerly Twitter.
The administration added that 171 planes of this model will have to be inspected, and that each inspection will take between four and eight hours.
United said it was still awaiting final approval of the full inspection process.
Boeing has delivered about 218 737 MAX aircraft so far, the company told AFP.
On Monday, in accordance with the FAA, Boeing published technical instructions for operator inspections, Boeing executives Stan Deal and Mike Delaney said in a message to staff.
AeroMexico, which grounded 19 planes, said it was in its “final phase” of inspections and added that it expected all MAX-9s in its fleet to “return to operation in the coming days.”
Another setback for Boeing
The incident is the latest setback for the manufacturer, particularly on the 737 MAX.
The worst were two accidents – a Lion Air flight in October 2018, and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March 2019 – that killed 346 people in total and grounded all 737 MAX planes. for almost two years.
Boeing's 737 MAX planes were grounded worldwide for 20 months following a ban following these crashes.
Late Sunday, Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun scheduled a safety meeting with all employees for Tuesday at the company's factory in Washington state, and canceled a management summit.
But even if the direct financial impact is contained, the incident marks the worst episode of an in-flight safety problem since the deadly MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, and Boeing could face delays in government approvals for new aircraft or repairs. proposals, analysts estimated.
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