After a cabin section including a window was torn off during a flight, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a temporary take-off ban for more than 170 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft. The authority announced on Saturday that immediate inspections of certain examples of this model were necessary, each taking around four to eight hours. Only then could the jets go back into operation. This applies to aircraft operated by US airlines or traveling on American territory – 171 aircraft worldwide.
The incident occurred on Friday on an Alaska Airlines flight en route from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario Airport in California, east of Los Angeles. According to media reports, shortly after takeoff, a part of the window suddenly came loose and flew away. There was a big bang and then air rushed in through the hole, passengers told The Oregonian newspaper. The seat directly next to the window was unoccupied, but a teenager in the middle seat suffered bruises from the sudden drop in pressure. Ultimately no one was seriously injured.
Explosive noise
Passengers were in fear of death, as US media later reported. Shortly after the pilot announced that an altitude of around 3,000 meters had been reached, there was an explosive noise, travelers sitting in the row behind the suddenly gaping hole reported to the Wall Street Journal. Personal items fell out of the opening. The crew ordered them to remain seated with their seat belts on and breathe through the oxygen masks.
Photos posted online by passengers showed a large hole gaping in the side of the affected row of seats in the plane’s wall. The hole was also visible in passenger videos published by the BBC.
As the “New York Times” reported, it is said to be a so-called door stopper – a part of the wall that is installed where the manufacturer intended an emergency exit, but which was not needed in the cabin version. According to the newspaper, it was unclear why such a component could have become detached.
A statement from Alaska Air said that shortly after takeoff, the plane with 171 passengers and six crew members returned to Portland Airport and landed there safely. Company boss Ben Minicucci said: “My condolences go out to those who were on that flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced.”
Accident authority is investigating the case
The airline announced that it would ground all of its 737-9 Max aircraft for the time being and subject the 65 aircraft to thorough maintenance and safety checks. Each aircraft will only be put back into operation after an inspection has been completed. On Saturday, Alaska Air announced that a quarter of the affected aircraft had already been serviced without any abnormalities being encountered. According to the FAA order, machines from other companies must now be checked more closely before they are allowed to take off. The NTSB accident investigation agency is investigating the case.
In contrast to the benign outcome on Friday, two emergencies in 2018 and 2019 ended catastrophically and led to the 737 Max series being grounded. There were a total of 346 deaths in the two crashes. The main cause is believed to be a faulty control program that directed the machines to the ground. Boeing then revised the type and gradually gained re-certifications. However, the medium-haul jet continued to make headlines with production defects and put a strain on the manufacturer’s balance sheets.
Alaska Air has also increased its fleet in recent years with an improved version of the 737-9 Max. In total, the airline has around 300 aircraft, most of them from Boeing.
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