United Airlines announced Monday that it found loose bolts on its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes, days after an Alaska Airlines plane of the same model lost a door plug mid-air.
In a statement obtained by FOX Business, United explained that its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft will be suspended. 200 MAX 9 flights are also canceled.
A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplane takes off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as seen from El Segundo, California, on September 11, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug – for example, bolts that needed additional tightening," the company explained. "These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service."
The company said that it is still waiting for final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration on its inspection process.
Investigator-in-Charge John Lovell examines the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX. (NTSB / Fox News)
On Friday, an Alaska Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after its door plug blew out in the middle of its flight.
This story is developing. Check back with us for updates.
Fox Business's Landon Mion contributed to this report.