The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) to airlines operating Boeing 737-900ER jets. The alert suggests a careful inspection of the intermediate exit doors of these aircraft to ensure their proper functioning.
In the FAA document issued on January 21, it is stated that the intermediate doors of the Boeing 737-900ER have an identical design to that of the 737-9 MAX.
This communication is necessary following the current situation with the 737 MAX 9 model, which is prohibited from flying due to the detachment of one of the doors on a flight operated by Alaska Airlines shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport on January 5.
The FAA informs that visual inspections on the 737-900ER aim to add an extra layer of security. The regulatory body explains that «some airlines have conducted additional inspections on the intermediate doors of the 737-900ER and observed some issues with screws during maintenance.»
The new inspections on the 737-900ER are related to «four locations where the screw/nut/pin installation is used to secure the door to the fuselage.» The FAA encourages airlines to «perform a visual inspection to ensure that the door plug is properly constrained by two upper guide rail screws and two lower retaining screws.»
The Boeing 737-900ER is the largest model in the Next Generation 737 family, first introduced in 1997. Among the operators of the 737-900ER in the United States are United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.
On January 17, the FAA confirmed that Boeing completed the inspection of doors on 40 737 MAX 9 aircraft currently grounded. The inspections were requested by the FAA after concluding that the initial inspection and maintenance instructions proposed by the manufacturer were insufficient.
The FAA will now conduct a thorough review of the documents before any final inspections on the grounded fleet can take place.
