The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has temporarily grounded Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by US airlines in U.S. territory.
The announcement follows the terrifying incident on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which made an emergency landing after a section of the aircraft blew out in mid-air.
Alaska Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Section Of Plane Blows Out Mid-Air
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, faced severe depressurization, causing the ejection of a large window section and an unoccupied seat.
One passenger on the plane told local media that a panel on the side of the plane blew out, taking one of the windows with it, causing rapid cabin decompression.
The horrifying incident reportedly resulted in a child’s shirt being ripped off.
WATCH:
🚨#BREAKING: Alaska Airlines Forced to Make an Emergency Landing After Large Aircraft Window Blows Out Mid-Air ⁰⁰📌#Portland | #Oregon
⁰A Forced emergency landing was made of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 at Portland International Airport on Friday night. The flight, traveling… pic.twitter.com/nt0FwmPALE— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 6, 2024
“The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) that will be issued shortly will require operators to inspect aircraft before further flight that do not meet the inspection cycles specified in the EAD,” the FAA stated.
“The EAD will affect approximately 171 airplanes worldwide,” the agency added.
BREAKING: FAA temporarily grounding Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by US airlines in U.S. territory pic.twitter.com/gb6RFZJ7xj
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) January 6, 2024
“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” the agency stated.
The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight.
Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the @NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. – @FAA_Mike pic.twitter.com/YsuQimg2pq
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 6, 2024
On Saturday, Alaska Airlines said it decided to “take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing MAX-9 aircraft.”
“Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” the airline stated.
Flight 1282 and our next steps with the Boeing MAX-9: https://t.co/LFxJvQYNcA pic.twitter.com/oemRokr1tz
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) January 6, 2024
The emergency inspections reportedly have impacted travel for at least 23,000 people.
Alaska Airlines says the emergency inspections mandated by the FAA "will take more time." The airline has already canceled 160 flights impacting 23k passengers.
“We are identifying necessary cancellations for tomorrow and expect the disruption to last through at least mid-week.” pic.twitter.com/1nlyM6xsIW
— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) January 7, 2024
Per CNBC:
The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to Portland on Saturday to investigate the incident.
United Airlines, the largest operator of the planes in the U.S., had prepared to ground dozens of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections, CNBC reported earlier.
United has 79 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in its fleet but just over 30 of them have already “received the necessary inspection that is required by the FAA,” the airline said. The inspections were expected to cause about 60 flight cancellations on Saturday, United said.
The FAA said the inspections will take between four and eight hours per plane.
The Boeing 737 Max 9 is a larger version of Boeing’s best-selling jetliner, the 737 Max 8. Max planes were grounded worldwide in 2019 after two fatal crashes within about five months of one another. The U.S. lifted its flight ban on the jets in late 2020 after software and training updates.