On Wednesday, January 3rd, passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, to Bozeman, Montana, faced an unexpected situation leading to an unscheduled landing. The flight, AA1497, was forced to divert to Amarillo, Texas, after an alarming incident where a part of the aircraft blew out mid-flight. This incident, involving a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, prompted immediate action from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Following the incident, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive affecting about 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes worldwide. This directive applies to all U.S. airlines and carriers operating within U.S. territory. As a result, airlines like Alaska and United Airlines announced the grounding of their entire fleets of Boeing 737 Max 9s as a precautionary measure.
Images and videos circulating on social media showed a gaping hole on the side of the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, with passengers using oxygen masks. The flight had to return to Portland shortly after takeoff for Ontario, California, on Friday afternoon. There were no serious injuries reported among the 171 passengers and six crew members on board, according to federal safety officials.
Investigation and Safety Measures
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) immediately began its investigation into the incident. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, during a press briefing in Portland on Saturday night, sought the public’s assistance in locating the missing door of the plane. Homendy noted the fortunate circumstance that the incident occurred while the plane was still climbing, as the situation could have been more tragic at cruising altitude.
The Boeing 737 Max 9, a larger version of Boeing’s best-selling 737 Max 8, has been under close scrutiny by the FAA and other aviation authorities. Following two fatal crashes that grounded the jetliner worldwide almost five years ago, the FAA has not yet cleared the smallest and largest models of the Max to enter commercial service. Notably, the section of the fuselage that was missing appeared to correspond to an exit not used by Alaska Airlines or other carriers without high-density seating configurations, and was plugged.
Before the FAA’s directive, Alaska Airlines had already decided to ground its fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes. United Airlines, the largest operator of the planes in the U.S., also prepared to ground dozens of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections. This move led to significant flight cancellations and impacted thousands of passengers. Alaska Airlines alone canceled 160 flights, affecting 23,000 customers as of 7 p.m. ET.
Boeing expressed deep regret for the impact the incident had on customers and supported the FAA’s decision for immediate inspections. The company stated it is cooperating with the NTSB’s investigation. This incident adds to a series of manufacturing flaws on Boeing jets in recent times, which have prompted additional inspections and slowed down deliveries of the jets.
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