I guess the passengers are conducting the pre-flights now?

[PeterNSteinmetz]

is 4 fasteners gone permitted per the MEL? Otherwise I expect this from Air France, but Virgin Atlantic?

New York-bound flight canceled after passenger sees parts missing from wing

Virgin Atlantic initiated the precautionary additional engineering checks after a passenger told the flight crew about multiple missing bolt fastener tops,

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[Jim Logajan]

A fairing doesn't seem likely to be in a MEL.

 

[rotorwrench]

is 4 fasteners gone permitted per the MEL?

Maybe. Depends on the MEL. But I doubt seriously as that appears to be a structural panel given the number and spacing of the screws. But I'm surprised nobody is blaming Airbus for this problem??

 

[Ron Wanttaja]

Maybe. Depends on the MEL. But I doubt seriously as that appears to be a structural panel given the number and spacing of the screws. But I'm surprised nobody is blaming Airbus for this problem??

Wasn't a brand-new airplane like the Max door-plug aircraft; more likely a Virgin maintenance issue that could happen to any brand.

Ron Wanttaja

 

[rotorwrench]

more likely a Virgin maintenance issue that could happen to any brand.

Exactly.

Just like it could have been an Alaska maintenance issue, or Spirit Aero maintenance issue, or an X maintenance issue, or ... a Boeing maintenance issue with the plug door. We don’t know yet.

However, once it was known to be a 737, new or old, it was only a Boeing maintenance issue. Just like it was two Boeing aircraft hit each other at O’Hare vs a Nippon aircraft hit a Delta aircraft at O’Hare, or a Boeing cargo aircraft had an engine fire vs an Atlas Cargo aircraft had an engine fire.

So using the standard Boeing Bias narrative, Airbus should get at least partial blame for the 4 missing screws because its obvious their accountants must have forced their engineers to design a screw hole that wouldn’t hold a screw in place.