Is there a flaw in the design of the Boeing 737 MAX 9?
The door plug on Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 9 suddenly separated from the fuselage during flight, causing a rapid pressure drop. Fortunately, no one was sitting next to the hole on that flight out of Portland, and the pilots got the plane down quickly and safely. Shortly after that flight, the new aircraft type was grounded.
- The 737 MAX 9 is an enlarged version of the 737 MAX 8 (which was grounded after the Lion Air and Ethiopian crashes).
- Airlines that do not cram a large number of passengers into the plane, such as ultra-low-cost airlines, have a “door plug” instead of an additional emergency exit door, which would be necessary to evacuate a larger number of passengers.
- This specific door plug is manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems in Malaysia. Boeing had quality control issues, as did Spirit.
Several 737 MAX 9 aircraft were inspected, and others had loose door plugs. There are four screws that are supposed to hold the frame together. but We don’t know if it was installed incorrectly or Whether they were actually installed properly and loosened over time while the aircraft was flown.
- If it’s just a poor door socket installation, it’s not a big deal, just have the problem checked and fixed and everyone may be good to go.
- But if the door plug was installed correctly and then comes loose, there will be a much bigger problem.
According to the head of the National Transportation Safety Board, “We’re looking at, was there any kind of structural flexing of the plane? It might not be bolts.”
If we don’t know why the door plug came loose, we can’t be sure the problem won’t reoccur. Enelria He notes that it is possible that “the much heavier engines in the MAX 9 model have created structural bending of the fuselage… (which) could, over time, cause bolts to shear or loosen due to vibration if they are placed at a stress point.”
(V) Vibration in aircraft tends to move more towards the rear of the aircraft with forward momentum during flight, and the area where the door plug is located is one of the first areas in the fuselage to not have the additional structural support of the attached wing which can result in additional vibration and flexing In that area.
This is not recognized as a reason Due to the door seal being separated from the 737 MAX 9 fuselage, or loose screws found on other aircraft, but this possibility needs to be studied. The fact that the exact cause is not yet known is what is worrying.
If this possibility persists, it may seem necessary to carry out frequent inspections (which include removing internal wall panels to check the tightness of the screws) – rather than just a one-off procedure.
If the bolts appear to come loose as the plane continues to operate, this means that there is a problem with the design of the plane. Maybe there should be a bigger boost. But are there pressure points elsewhere on the fuselage that might be affected? So there remain a number of questions about this type of aircraft.