Mike1080i
Member
I think you might be referring to Alaska 261, an MD-83, back in 2000. In that case it wasn't Chinese bolts, it was improper maintenance by Alaska on the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew. Little to do with the current 737 MAX issues.The quality has gone downhill since I worked there (late 80s and early 90s).
One of the suspects being investigated is counterfeit Chinese bolts that were holding the door plug in place. Aftermarket Chinese bolts that turned out to be counterfeit were deemed responsible for an Alaska 727 that went down off the California coast about 20 years ago. It's still on Boeing though for sourcing counterfeit bolts if that is what happened.
To me, it seems that Boeing's slide downhill might have started around the time of the McDonnell Douglas merger in 1997.