Another Boeing jet is going to go under the microscope. The FAA has said the 737-900ER should be inspected to see if bolts are loose.
This comes just weeks after the FAA and airlines grounded some 737 MAX 9 jets after a door panel blew off mid-flight.
The second model that will face inspections is an older generation of Boeing’s 737, which is manufactured in Washington.
Scott Hamilton, an aviation analyst with LeeHam News, has tracked Boeing for years. He says the 737 MAX 9 and the 737-900ER are very similar.
“It is, the 900ER is part of what’s called the 737 next gen. It’s essentially the same airplane, it’s the same fuselage,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton says the MAX 9s are being inspected and examined, and now the 737-900ER will be too due to its similarity with the MAX 9.
“It potentially would have the same concern. I think the fact that you’ve got all these 900ERs that have been out there in some cases, decades — they’ve gone through heavy maintenance checks. In this country there are about 400 of them in service,” said Hamilton.
The FAA says inspections of the 900ER should look at the bolts on the mid-cabin doors, as they have the same design as the MAX 9.
Hamilton says only 550 900ERs have ever been produced so inspecting them might not take as long.
“It takes between 4 and 8 hours to do the inspections,” he said.
Due to the lower number of 900ERs in service, Hamilton also expects a limited impact on air travel from any domestic airline potentially taking them out of service.
“I don’t see any material impact from the inspections on the 900ER on airline schedules and therefore, if I were a passenger, I wouldn’t have any hesitation getting on a 900ER,” Hamilton said.
A notice from the FAA said airlines should take a look at the bolts and door panels for the 900ER and see if there are issues. The safety notice did not say if the 900ERs would be grounded.
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