FAA extends door plug inspections to the Boeing 737-900ER

The FAA has extended door plug inspections to include the Boeing 737-900ER as well. The agency issued a Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO) on Sunday for airlines to identify any issues with the door plug locking system that could have a potential problem. The -900ER uses the same door plug system as the MAX 9, which lost one during Alaska Airlines flight AS1282 on January 5. Immediately after the FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) for the MAX 9 on January 6, many asked why the 737-900ER wasn’t included in subsequent inspections. The SAFO says that some airlines themselves started inspecting the door plugs on the older 737 version. “As part of their Safety Management Systems, some operators have conducted additional inspections on the 737-900ER mid-exit door plugs and have noted findings with bolts during the maintenance inspections,” the document says. Exactly what is meant by “findings” isn’t specified in the safety alert, but this could be an indication that bolts that were found to be inadequately torqued, secured or have another issue. The document says: “This SAFO also recommends that operators perform key portions of the Boeing 737-900ER Fuselage Plug Assembly Maintenance Planning Document (MPD) Inspection Tasks, related to the 4 locations where a bolt/nut/pin installation is used to secure the door to the airframe, as soon as possible. (…) Operators are encouraged to conduct a visual inspection to ensure the door plug is restrained from any movements through the two upper guide track bolts and two lower arrestor bolts.” This refers to the two upper hinge fittings and two lower hinge fittings that need to be secured with a bolt to keep the door plug in place. Another 12 stop pads should prevent the plug from moving upwards and outwards, a position used for maintenance. A preliminary investigation of the door plug of the Alaska MAX 9 has learned that the upper hinge fittings were sheared and all stop pads broken, which means that the plug did move upwards. The NTSB is investigating what caused this and has yet to determine if the fittings were secured by bolts. The FAA said on Friday that it had completed preliminary inspections of 40 MAX 9s and will “thoroughly review the data from them.” Until that’s done and it has been concluded that all safety requirements are met, the MAX 9 with door plugs remains grounded. No known door plug issues on the -900ER Since the entry into service of the 737-900ER in 2007, no door plug incidents have been reported with this type. Boeing launched the -900ER in July 2005. The version differs from the standard -900 with the option for two auxiliary fuel tanks in the cargo hold to extend the range. The fuselage has a flat aft pressure bulkhead to offer extra seat capacity. In a high-density version with 215 seats (220 is the maximum), it operates with two Type II mid-cabin exit doors. Airlines opting for fewer seats selected the door plug. The main 737-900ER operators with door plugs are United Airlines (136), Alaska Airlines (79), and Delta Air Lines (163). United has three different cabin configurations with 167 and 184 seats. Alaska’s aircraft seats 178 passengers, and Delta’s 180 seats. The three US carriers have 378 -900ERs out of the 505 built between 2006 and 2015. Indonesia’s Lion Air is another major operator with 64 aircraft, but they have Type II exit doors as the aircraft seats 215 passengers.

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