Continuing our ongoing coverage of Boeing’s “flying junkyards,” the investigation into the blowout of a door plug on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 over Portland last month is still ongoing. FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said yesterday that the investigation will take six weeks to complete in full and the company is roughly halfway through the process. But Boeing is already releasing some of their preliminary findings, including photographs of some of the inspections being done. One of these photos has led investigators to confirm earlier suspicions that four main bolts used to fasten the door plug in place were not even installed, leading to the near-catastrophe. That’s a fairly major oversight and it will likely lead to calls for stricter inspection protocols at Boeing, particularly for the troubled 737 MAX 9 line. (Associated Press)
Bolts that helped secure a panel to the…
