KLANG, Jan 19 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke today said the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) had approved the failed component on Alaska Airlines 1282 being highlighted as made in Malaysia.
Commenting on the faulty door plug that has led to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max, Loke also said the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia has pre-emptively offered to assist the FAA in the matter after learning of the parts origins.
The minister said the CAAM contacted the FAA’s Asia-Pacific office in Singapore after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed yesterday that the door plug in question was manufactured in Malaysia.
“However, they said that they will come back to us should they require assistance,” he told reporters at a press conference here, today.
Yesterday, NTSB confirmed that the door plug of Flight 1282’s Boeing 737 Max 9 was manufactured in Malaysia.
NTSB chairman Jennifer Homendy said the part was produced by Spirit AeroSystems in Malaysia before being delivered to Boeing’s supplier in Wichita, Kansas, and subsequently sent to the Boeing assembly line in Renton, Washington.
Homendy said the NTSB is investigating the entire supply chain, encompassing the manufacturing, transportation, installation, and service deployment of the door plug.
On January 5, the door plug in question blew out mid-air and forced Flight 1282 into an emergency landing due to rapid decompression.
