India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday (Jan 9) said that one of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was found with a loose bolt during inspection.
The aviation watchdog said that the authorities have inspected 40 Boeing 737 MAX planes of domestic carriers. It said that the problem was solved immediately when they found a washer missing in one aircraft.
Notably in India, Boeing 737 MAX planes are used by Akasa Air (22), SpiceJet (9) and Air India Express (9).
The aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, recommended aviation authorities worldwide to carry out a one-time inspection as a precautionary measure of all Boeing 737 MAX airplanes which are present in the fleet before January 10.
The recommendation came after reports of a missing nut and washer in the Aft Rudder Quadrant on the Boeing 737 MAX plane.
As quoted by PTI, a senior DGCA official on Tuesday said out of the 40 Boeing 737 MAX planes of the three Indian carriers, inspections on 39 aircraft have been completed with nil findings. The official added that a missing washer was found in one aircraft.
“Rectification action as per recommendations of Boeing has been taken prior to the release of this aircraft. Inspection on the remaining one aircraft will be completed prior to release for service,” the official said.
Alaska Airlines incident
As per a report by the news agency PTI, this inspection was recommended before the Alaska Airlines incident and is not related to it.
Last week, a cabin panel of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 of Alaska Airlines blew off mid-air. All the passengers were landed safely.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said late on Monday that it could not yet tell whether the recovered cabin panel had been properly attached.
The comments came after Alaska Airlines and the other US 737 MAX 9 operator, United Airlines, said on Monday they had found loose parts on multiple grounded aircraft.
The announcement raises new concerns among industry experts about how Boeing’s best-selling jet family is manufactured.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 MAX 9 planes on Saturday (Jan 6) after a panel called a door plug blew off the Alaska Airlines flight not long after taking off from a Portland, Oregon, airport on Friday.
(With inputs from agencies)
