Alaska Airlines Plane Appears to Have Left Boeing Factory Without Critical Bolts

Isn't this just confirming what the recent anonymous leaker said?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39111494

Brian from Real Engineering thinks[1] a likely culprit is that the company that makes the fuselage doesn't completely secure the door plugs because they usually get removed to build out the interior of the plane according to the customer's desires. If Boeing actually didn't take the plugs out for that purpose, it's possible that there was a miscommunication that that was the case, or a missed step in the procedure documents that those need to be fully secured even if they were never removed.

[1] https://youtu.be/hhT4M0UjJcg (that part starts around 3:45)

You'd think that someone would have noticed the four extra bolts that were left over when they stuck the plug back in. I mean, that happens to all of us, but most of us aren't working on anything important.

It implies that the bolts were actually never there at all. But again, you'd think someone would notice that on disassembly.

In which case it's rather impressive that the door stayed seated in place as long as it did.

I'd be cautious about believing these 'whistleblowers' who make it sound like the problem is human error, or Boeing contractors, etc., or anything else where there's a scapegoat or a quick fix.

I'm not saying it's not true, but if you were trying to restore confidence in the airworthiness of a fundamentally flawed design, it might make sense to publish unfalsifiable rumours along those lines.

Wait, so the airplane manufacturer, Boeing, does not even make its own airframes? Some third party company makes the whole fuselage (most of the plane) and Boeing does what, bolts on the wings and third-party engines then sells it?

Wow. I hope, I‘ll never have to fly in a Boeing plane again. As a European, I‘m happy for Airbus.