I imagine there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of bolts on an airliner. How is it that the industry has confidence in the rest of them, and that the investigations are limited to the plug door bolts?
A miscommunication probably happened where the plug doors were not tightened to specs same as every other doors, but Boeing didn't touch them (or checked) for their usual interior setup.
Since then, we have the whistleblower's account.
TLDR: A bureaucratic snafu where the record keeping didn't match the actual work. The repair of the plug's air seal was miscategorized ("reopen" vs "removal") in the system, so did not trigger the required post-repair inspection, which would have (most likely) spotted the missing nuts.
My neighbor said he'll look into the whistleblower's account, though he admitted it was plausible.
Also:
IIRC, castle nuts, which use cotter pins, are used for the plug's bolts. Meaning no tightening or torquing. The pressure differential keeps the plugs sealed. The bolts just keep the plug in place.
If I'm wrong on that, please correct me.
If the whistleblower's information is true, then it's an even bigger fuckup than expected. But I'm worried it could lead to the management throwing a random worker under the bus to cover their dangerous practices.
Secondly, other bolts will be checked far more frequently as part of standard maintenance. Door plug fitments typically are only checked during heavy checks (which occur every few years depending on type and interval) unless there’s a specific incident that demands an immediate assessment.