Qantas slammed for engine missing bolts

Pre-flight checklist: Altimeter – set. Trim – set. Magneto – check. Is the engine bolted together? – um… Australian airline Qantas has come under fire after a video was shared showing one of its planes missing several engine bolts and a seal. The video shows the internals of a Boeing 737, and an air duct just barely hanging on, missing three of its four bolts and a seal. While the missing bolts would not have caused a catastrophic failure, the hot air leaking could have started a fire under the right conditions, according to journalist Michael West, who shared the video. Qantas later released a statement saying that ‘the issue with the air duct was identified by engineers on Saturday and the aircraft was inspected before returning to service… The air duct takes air away from the engine and has no impact on the operation of the engine.’ Qantas told West that the issue was ‘a local stuff up’ made in Brisbane