Originally Posted by
JimInOhio
Pure speculation: It could be something so simple as a different manufacturer of the nuts and bolts that hold the plug in place while the a/c is not pressurized.
From what I understand, at this point, the inquiry is focused (thankfully) on what is looking like a "swiss cheese" series of process errors rather than a systemic manufacturing issue. To clarify, I mean human error (improperly torqued fasteners) rather than faulty materials. That's not to say inspections won't reveal other problems.
Originally Posted by
amexman
Interesting that the FAA emergency AD applies to "The Boeing Company Model 737-9 airplanes, certified in any category, with a mid cabin door plug installed".
Don't the 737-900's have the plug? Curious why this is solely a "Max" problem if so?
Yes, but the last 737-900ER rolled off the assembly line nearly five years ago and there is no cause for concern with that fleet, which has been in service for 15+ years. I'd argue that grounding the entire fleet of MAX 9s (instead of certain, more recent line numbers) is a pretty belt-and-suspenders move from the FAA given that they've been in service since 2018... extending it to the -900ER would be excessive.