PORTLAND, Ore. (NEWSnet/AP) — United Airlines said Monday it found loose bolts and other issues on a part of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jets inspected after Friday's mid-flight blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet.

The inspections are focused on plugs used to seal an area set aside for additional emergency doors that are not required on United and Alaska Max 9s.

“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug – for example, bolts that needed additional tightening,” Chicago-based United said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all of the Max 9s operated by Alaska and United, and some flown by foreign airlines, after Friday night’s incident. Early Monday, Alaska Airlines was forced to cancel 20% of all flights, 141 in all. United cancelled 221 flights, or 8% of its total flights scheduled for Monday.

Also on Monday, the FAA approved guidelines for inspecting the door plugs on other Max 9 jets and repairing them, if necessary. That move could speed the return to service of the 171 planes that the FAA grounded.

Alaska has 64 other Max 9s, and United Airlines owns 79 of them. No other U.S. airlines operate that model of the Boeing 737.

The NTSB said the lost door plug was found Sunday near Portland, Oregon, in a the backyard of a home. Two cell phones that appeared to have belonged to passengers on Friday’s flight were found on the ground. 

The plane made it back to Portland, and none of the 171 passengers and six crew members was seriously injured.

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