(Bloomberg) -- The US Federal Aviation Administration is recommending airlines inspect another type of Boeing Co. 737 aircraft that also has mid-exit door plugs, the same type that ultimately failed in an Alaska Airlines blowout on Jan. 5.
Citing an “added level of safety,” the US aviation regulator said in a statement Sunday night local time that it was “recommending that operators of Boeing 737-900ER aircraft visually inspect mid-exit door plugs to ensure the door is properly secured.”
The 737-900ER is an older generation aircraft type that's not part of the Max family but has the same door plug design.
The FAA ultimately grounded 171 Max 9 jets that contained mid-exit door plugs after a panel on the Alaska Air jet blew out mid-flight earlier this month leaving a gaping hole that fortunately didn't suck anyone out of the plane.
According to Boeing data, 505 of the 737-900ER type of planes have been delivered to airlines globally. The major operators of the 900ER include United Airlines Holdings Inc., Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines Inc.
Some 900 ER operators have “noted findings with bolts” during inspections, the FAA said in a separate statement.
--With assistance from Ryan Beene.
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