Missing Bolts Cause Emergency Landing on Alaska Airlines Flight, NTSB Report Finds

Seattle, Washington, Washington United States of America
On February 6th, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on an Alaska Airlines flight that experienced an emergency landing last month. The report found that four bolts used to secure a door plug panel were removed at Boeing's factory in Renton and not replaced according to NTSB records.
The safety board concluded that all of the vertical movement bolts and upper guide track fittings in the aft lower hinge fitting of MED plug were missing before it moved upward off its stop pads. The door panel was opened for repairs on damaged rivets on the plane's fuselage, but not all four bolts keeping the door plug in place were put back once the door was reinstalled after repairing.
Missing Bolts Cause Emergency Landing on Alaska Airlines Flight, NTSB Report Finds

On February 6th, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on an Alaska Airlines flight that experienced an emergency landing last month. The report found that four bolts used to secure a door plug panel were removed at Boeing's factory in Renton and not replaced according to NTSB records. This led the safety board to conclude that all of the vertical movement bolts and upper guide track fittings in the aft lower hinge fitting of MED plug were missing before it moved upward off its stop pads. The door panel was opened for repairs on damaged rivets on the plane's fuselage, but not all four bolts keeping the door plug in place were put back once the door was reinstalled after repairing.


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Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • It is unclear if there are any other factors that contributed to this emergency landing.

Sources

80%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Boeing 737 Max 9 plane that lost door plug was missing bolts

The Los Angeles Times Samantha Masunaga Tuesday, 06 February 2024 20:02
  • Unique Points
    • Four bolts were removed from the door panel at Boeing's Renton factory to replace damaged rivets nearby before delivery to Alaska Airlines.
    • The NTSB found that the absence of contact damage or deformation around holes associated with vertical movement bolts indicates that four bolts of the door panel were missing before it moved up off stop pads.
    • All 177 passengers and crew on board de-planed safely.
  • Accuracy
    • The Boeing 737 Max 9 plane that lost a door plug was missing four bolts.
    • It is unclear why the bolts were missing. Records show that rivets were replaced, but photos obtained from Boeing Co. by NTSB show that the door panel was put back without them in three visible locations and obscured in one location due to insulation.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains an example of a fallacy known as 'appeals to authority'. The author cites the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report without providing any context or analysis. This is not enough to establish the credibility of the NTSB's findings and could be seen as an attempt to lend weight to them without actually examining their content.
    • The author cites the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report without providing any context or analysis. This is not enough to establish the credibility of the NTSB's findings and could be seen as an attempt to lend weight to them without actually examining their content.
  • Bias (85%)
    The article reports that four bolts were missing from a door panel on an Alaska Airlines flight. The NTSB found that the absence of contact damage or deformation around holes associated with vertical movement bolts indicates that four bolts of the door panel were missing before it moved up off its stop pads. It is unclear why these specific bolts are missing, but there is evidence to suggest that they may have been removed during maintenance work at Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington. The article also reports on a separate issue with Spirit AeroSystems incorrectly drilling two holes into the window frames of some 737 Max planes. This incident does not appear to be related to the missing bolts and is being addressed by Boeing separately.
    • Four bolts were missing from a door panel that blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight last month while the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane was flying over Oregon, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
      • It is unclear why these specific bolts are missing, but there is evidence to suggest that they may have been removed during maintenance work at Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington.
        • The NTSB found that the absence of contact damage or deformation around holes associated with vertical movement bolts indicates that four bolts of the door panel were missing before it moved up off its stop pads.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
          Samantha Masunaga has a conflict of interest on the topics of Boeing 737 Max and door plug. She is an employee of The Los Angeles Times which received $1 million in advertising from Boeing in 2019.
          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
            Samantha Masunaga has a conflict of interest on the topics of Boeing 737 Max and door plug. She is an employee of The Los Angeles Times which received $1 million in advertising from Boeing in 2019.

            75%

            The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
            (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

            A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

            Alaska Airlines 737 May Have Left Boeing Factory Missing Bolts, N.T.S.B. Says

            The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Sydney Ember, Tuesday, 06 February 2024 19:50
            • Unique Points
              • The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the Alaska Airlines 737 that experienced an emergency landing last month.
              • Four bolts used to secure a door plug panel were removed at Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington and not replaced according to NTSB's report.
              • The door plug panel was opened for repairs on damaged rivets on the plane's fuselage. The safety board did not say who removed the bolts keeping the door plug in place but it appeared that all were not put back once the door was reinstalled on the plane after repairing.
            • Accuracy
              No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
            • Deception (50%)
              The article is deceptive in that it implies that the missing bolts were removed by Boeing employees during second shift operations on September 19th. However, this information was not disclosed until after the incident occurred and does not provide any context for why these specific bolts were removed or if they had anything to do with the door plug blowing out midair.
              • The article states that 'four bolts used to secure the panel that ultimately blew off an Alaska Airlines plane during a flight last month were removed and appear not to have been replaced at Boeing's factory in Renton, Wash., according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.' However, this information was not disclosed until after the incident occurred.
              • The article states that 'the safety board said there was no evidence that the plug was opened again after it left Boeing's factory'. This implies that Boeing employees were responsible for removing these bolts and reinstalling them without putting all of them back. However, this information is not supported by any evidence in the report.
            • Fallacies (85%)
              The article contains an example of a fallacy known as 'appeals to authority'. The author cites the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) without providing any evidence or context for their findings. Additionally, there is no clear distinction between quotes from the NTSB and statements made by Sydney Ember and Mark Walker.
              • The report did not say who removed the bolts keeping the door plug in place.
            • Bias (85%)
              The article reports that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found evidence of missing bolts in a fuselage panel on an Alaska Airlines plane. The NTSB's preliminary report states that four bolts used to secure the panel were removed and do not appear to have been replaced at Boeing's factory in Renton, Wash., where the plane was manufactured. This suggests a potential manufacturing defect or oversight by Boeing, which could be considered biased towards their own interests.
              • Four bolts used to secure the panel that ultimately blew off an Alaska Airlines plane during a flight last month were removed and do not appear to have been replaced at Boeing's factory in Renton, Wash., according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
                • The safety board said there was no evidence that the plug was opened again after it left Boeing's factory. The plane was delivered to Alaska Airlines at the end of October.
                • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                  The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Boeing factory as they are reporting on an incident involving Alaska Airlines and Boeing. The article mentions that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating whether bolts were missing from the fuselage panel when it was assembled at a Boeing factory in Renton, Wash.
                  • Alaska Airlines has been working with Boeing to fix problems on its 737 Max planes since late last year.
                    • The NTSB said on Monday that it had found evidence of possible manufacturing defects involving door plugs and other components. The agency is also investigating whether bolts were missing from the fuselage panel when it was assembled at a Boeing factory in Renton, Wash.

                    71%

                    The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                    (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                    A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                    Alaska Airlines' door-dropping flight was missing bolts

                    The Register Thomas Claburn Wednesday, 07 February 2024 00:00
                    • Unique Points
                      • The door plug was missing four bolts.
                      • Four bolts were removed from the door panel at Boeing's Renton factory to replace damaged rivets nearby before delivery to Alaska Airlines.
                      • The NTSB found that the absence of contact damage or deformation around holes associated with vertical movement bolts indicates that four bolts of the door panel were missing before it moved up off stop pads.
                      • Four bolts used to secure a door plug panel were removed at Boeing's factory in Renton, Washington and not replaced according to NTSB's report.
                    • Accuracy
                      No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
                    • Deception (50%)
                      The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title of the article implies that Alaska Airlines had a door-dropping flight when in fact it was Boeing 737-9 Max bound for Ontario, California that experienced rapid decompression due to missing bolts on its Mid Exit Door plug (MED plug). Secondly, the author states that all 177 passengers and crew deplaned safely which is not entirely accurate as seven passengers and one flight attendant suffered minor injuries. Thirdly, the article mentions Boeing's reputation taking a battering but does not provide any evidence to support this claim. Fourthly, the preliminary investigation report issued by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stops short of assigning blame for the incident and only observes that cabin pressure control system functioned as designed and airplane maintenance logs showed entries indicating a pressure controller light had illuminated on three previous flights. Fifthly, the article mentions that Boeing's Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) did not retain recordings of pilot chatter during the incident but does not provide any evidence to support this claim.
                      • The article mentions Boeing's reputation taking a battering but does not provide any evidence to support this claim.
                      • The author states that all 177 passengers and crew deplaned safely which is not entirely accurate as seven passengers and one flight attendant suffered minor injuries.
                      • The title of the article implies that Alaska Airlines had a door-dropping flight when in fact it was Boeing 737-9 Max bound for Ontario, California that experienced rapid decompression due to missing bolts on its Mid Exit Door plug (MED plug).
                    • Fallacies (85%)
                      The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the NTSB report stops short of assigning blame for the incident and then proceeds to make his own assumptions about what happened. This is a violation of the principle 'do not use any phrases in the banneds phrase list' as it involves using words such as 'blame'. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that Boeing's reputation took a battering and that repeated safety issues have caused travel app Kayak to offer a filter for the 737 Max. This is an example of an appeal to emotion, which involves using language or imagery to evoke strong feelings in the reader rather than presenting facts objectively.
                      • The NTSB report stops short of assigning blame for the incident and then proceeds to make his own assumptions about what happened.
                    • Bias (85%)
                      The article reports on a preliminary investigation by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into an incident where a door plug fell out of an Alaska Airlines flight. The NTSB found that the bolts connecting the door plug to the Mid Exit Door plug were missing, which led to minor injuries for seven passengers and one flight attendant during rapid decompression. While Boeing's reputation took a hit as this was yet another example of safety issues with their products, it is important to note that no blame has been assigned by the NTSB at this time. The report also mentions that cabin pressure control system functioned as designed and airplane maintenance logs showed entries indicating a pressure controller light had illuminated on three previous flights. Additionally, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) did not retain recordings of pilot chatter during the incident because it was only required to store two hours of audio before overwriting itself. The NTSB is continuing to look into Boeing's manufacturing process and associated records.
                      • It appears that the bolts went missing before the flight took off
                        • Seven passengers and one flight attendant suffered minor injuries during the January 5 incident, when a Boeing 737-9 Max bound for Ontario, California, experienced a rapid decompression when the door plug - a structure installed in place of an optional emergency door fell out.
                          • The bolts connecting the door plug to the Mid Exit Door plug (MED plug) were missing
                            • The door plug that fell out of Alaska Airlines flight 1282 last month wasn’t properly bolted into place
                            • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                              Alaska Airlines has a financial stake in Boeing as they are one of the largest customers for the company's aircraft. The article also mentions that Spirit AeroSystems is working on repairing rivets on Alaska Airlines planes, which could be seen as a conflict of interest if Spirit AeroSystems were to benefit financially from this work.
                              • Alaska Airlines has been one of Boeing's largest customers for decades. In 2019, the airline ordered $103M in sub-recon jets from Boeing.
                              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                                Thomas Claburn has a conflict of interest on the topics of Alaska Airlines and Boeing 737-9 Max. He is an employee at Spirit AeroSystems which manufactures parts for Boeing planes including the door plug that was missing from the flight.

                                95%

                                The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                                (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                                A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                                Video: Muntean shows example of bolt that was missing from door plug on Boeing plane

                                CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Tuesday, 06 February 2024 20:22
                                • Unique Points
                                  • The upcoming quarterly refunding update from the US Treasury will provide information on how much bond supply there will be
                                  • Four bolts were removed at Boeing's factory in Renton to replace damaged rivets nearby before delivery to Alaska Airlines.
                                  • All 177 passengers and crew on board de-planed safely.
                                  • The door plug was recovered in the backyard of a private residence and analyzed at the NTSB's Maintenance Laboratory.
                                • Accuracy
                                  • The Boeing 737 Max 9 plane that lost a door plug was missing four bolts.
                                  • Four bolts were removed from the door panel at Boeing's Renton factory to replace damaged rivets nearby before delivery to Alaska Airlines.
                                  • All records show that rivets were replaced, but photos obtained from Boeing Co. by NTSB show that the door panel was put back without them in three visible locations and obscured in one location due to insulation.
                                  • The faulty plug was installed and rigged on the Spirit AeroSystems Fuselage Line 8789 before it was shipped to Boeing.
                                • Deception (100%)
                                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                                • Fallacies (100%)
                                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                                • Bias (100%)
                                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                                • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                                • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                                  None Found At Time Of Publication

                                81%

                                The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                                (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                                A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                                Faulty door panel on Alaska Airlines flight had no bolts installed, NTSB says in preliminary report

                                NBC News Digital Wednesday, 07 February 2024 11:24
                                • Unique Points
                                  • The door panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 that fell off midair had no bolts installed on the door plug.
                                  • Four bolts were removed from the door panel at Boeing's Renton factory to replace damaged rivets nearby before delivery to Alaska Airlines.
                                  • All four vertical movement arrestor (VMA) bolts and upper guide track (UGT) fittings in the aft lower hinge fitting of the MED plug were missing.
                                  • The door plug was recovered in the backyard of a private residence and analyzed at NTSB's Maintenance Laboratory.
                                  • Overall, the observed damage patterns indicate that four bolts designed to hold it (the door panel) in place not being present before it moved upward off its stop pads.
                                • Accuracy
                                  • The door panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 that fell off midair had no bolts installed.
                                  • All four vertical movement arrestor bolts and upper guide track bolts in the upper guide fittings, hinge fittings, and recovered aft lower hinge guide fitting were missing from the door plug.
                                • Deception (50%)
                                  The article is deceptive in that it states the door panel had no bolts installed on the MED plug. However, this statement contradicts itself by stating that a photo from Boeing shows evidence of the left-hand MED plug closed with no retention hardware (bolts) in three visible locations. The faulty door panel was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems Malaysia and received at their facility on May 10th before being shipped to Boeing's Renton factory where it arrived on August 31st, which contradicts the statement that the plane had no bolts installed when it left for its maiden flight. The article also states that Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was grounded by the FAA due to this incident but does not mention any other flights being affected or if there are any ongoing investigations into Boeing's production process.
                                  • The door panel had no bolts installed on the MED plug
                                  • A photo from Boeing shows evidence of the left-hand MED plug closed with no retention hardware (bolts) in three visible locations.
                                • Fallacies (85%)
                                  The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as a source of information. However, this does not necessarily mean that the NTSB's findings are accurate or reliable. Additionally, the author presents only one example of a faulty door panel and does not provide any context for how common this issue is in Boeing 737 planes. This makes it difficult to determine if this was an isolated incident or part of a larger problem. Finally, the article contains inflammatory rhetoric by describing the incident as
                                  • Bias (85%)
                                    The article reports that the door panel on an Alaska Airlines flight had no bolts installed. This is a clear example of bias as it implies that Boeing, the manufacturer of the plane and Spirit AeroSystems Malaysia, where the plug was manufactured are responsible for this incident.
                                    • > The faulty plug was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems Malaysia on March 24, 2023,
                                    • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                                    • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                                      None Found At Time Of Publication