The Boeing Issue Isn’t About Bolts

End of the Line

The recent failure of a plug door in an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 generated lots of speculation about the cause of this unusual failure. As is frequently the case when components fall off aircraft, fasteners were immediately brought into question.

Whether or not the plugs were positively fastened to the airframe is still in question, but the mainstream media refers to all aviation fasters as “bolts,” and frequently implies that fasteners are the primary restraining force against cabin air pressure.

While missing fasteners could definitely allow the plug to shift, screws don’t hold back the pressure; the design of the plug does.

* * *

Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.