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https://x.com/FAANews/status/1743692471559651513?s=20
There was a known pressurization issue on the 737 max 9. That’s why it’s was not ETOPS certified. They allowed them continued to fly it regardless! This is a major failure of the FAA and Boeing all over again. We need to hold them accountable. Seems no one is talking about this.
Hopefully the entire door plug assembly and all associated components will be located. Typically, shear bolts used for locking pins in place are torqued to a certain level of tension, but below the yield strength of the bolts, before safety wire or cotter pins are put through drilled holes in the end of the bolts locking them from loosening or rotation into slotted or castle nuts. Even if the safety wire or cotter pins were omitted, the failure of torqued locking bolts would be a highly likely occurrence, nearly impossible in an aircraft so recently put into service.
Everybody is confused because they don't understand the difference between a normal exit door and a door plug. From what I've seen the door plug is retained into the fuselage using twelve bolts, six on each side. For the door plug to be blown out like it was, all twelve bolts must have been pulled out. My guess is that they put in the wrong bolts, which were too short. The shorter bolts would not have screwed all the way into the holes on the door plug. With less than the required number of threads engaging the twelve holes in the plug, the threads eventually were stripped off of the ends of the bolts and the plug was blown out. Something like this happened years ago on a British Airways jet. Someone replaced a cockpit window and used screws that were too short. As the plane was climbing the window blew out and sucked the captain half way out of the airplane.
Are there twisting moments of the aircraft frame that could have helped to dislodge the door? When the door plug is removed that' a lot of open, unframed space. And another open space on the opposite side of the aircraft.
What the load over the door aperture at 16000ft…..3-4 tons?…..7psi?
Apparently the door plug has been found in a backyard
The plug panels replace the emergency exit plug doors on both sides of the aircraft and similar structures have been installed in 737s (and similar aircraft) for decades. So the design is probably sound, hence the assembly/manufacture/parts is most likely to be the cause of the incident. For a first step I would examine the similar plug panel on the other side of the fuselage.
So……. I’m guessing no bolts in the fittings for door panel/airframe
looks like Boeing forgot the 4 lock bolts for Permanent de-activation of the plug. on pre departure (delivery check )to customer.2 on the top guide channels and 2 on the lower hinges.The plug can be removed but only for Mtc purposes ,
Short and informative reporting. Thanks and great job.
Loose procedures at Alaskan. No CVR recording as the recorder just looped over the top of the flight recording. It wasn't stopped in time. Also really in this day and age you could record the cockpit conversations for years aircraft and not erase a minute. Two hours is a ridiculous CVR time limit for an aircraft built in 2023.
The door plug was found and is currently being retrieved by the NTSB. "Bob" found it in his backyard.
NTSB stated that there is quite some damage throughout the cabin. Panels, inner plastic windows and isolation on a large number of rows have been pulled off during the event, as well as some floor tiles. The seats next to the opening are torqued and missing parts. The cockpit door blew open and blocked a lavatory door. A flight attendant observed that both pilots were jolted and their headsets drawn off so they had to put them on again. Explosive seems to be an adequate description.
How many burst eardrums?
Juan, what is the normal delta pressure, or ratio, in a B 737 Max-9 between the interior of the craft and outside? (air pressure) at FL160? Please compare that with data at cruising altitude > FL300 and at what altitude does input pressure begin from the auto pressurization system? Thanks
Early this morning I read in Swedish mass (in turn from Reuters) media that the part has been found in some teachers garden.
Also, it was said that the particular airplane had have some known preassure issues before the incident.These issues wre claimed to have led to decision by Alaska Airlines on avoiding flying longer flights over water.
Welcome to the effects of cost savings for the benefit of shareholder value. These kind issues will not stop but become more common. Compared to the past they already have.
So if you ask me, the retaining bolts, castellated locking nuts and /or the cotter pins were ALL inadvertently left off the locking mechanisms when they buttoned up the fuselage during final assembly. There had been a few pressurization issues with this specific aircraft prior to this mishap. Probably the door was bumping up and down leaking air at those times. Finally, on this flight, a little turbulence (see they encounter weather right at the time the plug came off) probably created just enough negative weight on the door to let the lower hinge springs push the door’s upper locking pins out and poof, it was gone.
The good news. – a miracle no one was sitting there and the inspections of the rest of the fleet will be quick and easy – are the locking bolts in place and secure.
The bad news is how did Boeing button up that fuselage with those bolts missing? That’s breathtaking.
Sunday night 1/7/24- NTSB reported the FDR & CVR weren't shut off so they kept recording and there's nothing on there (relevant to the incident).
"Rubber jungle," heh. Never heard that one before.
Always a relief to know that a crew and passengers are safely home after something serious. Boeing have questions to answer. The possibility of a cargo net secured over such a door might be a lightweight piece of kit to add safety?Would like to add, respectfully, seeing the in cabin footage, the words of an old Nazereth song come to mind, …"Look out the left, the Captain sais, the lights down there, that's where we'll land…"
People need to avoid flying with any airline operating the 737 Max. I wouldn't be paid to fly on one! What's the next major failure due to shoddy construction going to be, several years down the line!
So… who was responsible for the installation of the plug/ Boeing or Alaska Airlines?
Juan, your videos are awesome, thank you. Please keep up the good work. However, this one is filled with technical inaccuracies. Please watch the Boeing tech video. A door plug is not a deactivated door. They differ in that the plug has no operational mechanism (you mentioned “hidden by the interior panel”). The plug is fixed in place with bolts not allowing movement. And, Alaska (it’s contractor) would have removed, inspected, and replaced the plug during interior configuration. This same design has been used for many decades…
It's a shame that Americas aircraft manufacture has become this bad. This is not a design problem nor are the other airframe issues Boeing is dealing with. This all leads back to poor craftsmanship and QC from a company that 20 years ago was setting the standard making air travel safe. Check out Mentour Pilot who has some discussion about Boeings situation.
This is THE product of EID!