(Reuters) – Alaska Air said on Monday its technicians found some loose hardware in the door plug area on some of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet. U.S. regulators grounded 171 MAX 9 planes after a door plug panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated flight not long after taking off from a Portland, Oregon, airport on Friday, forcing pilots to scramble to land the plane safely. “As our maintenance technicians began preparing our 737-9 MAX fleet for inspections, they accessed the area in question,” Alaska Air said, referring to the door plug panel area. “Initial reports from our technicians indicate s…