After mid-air blowout, Alaska Airlines grounds Boeing 737-9 Max fleet
American carrier Alaska Airlines has halted flights on all its 65 Boeing 737-9 Max planes. This followed the emergency landing of Ontario, California-bound Flight 1282 in Portland, Oregon, after a fuselage panel, including a window, blew out shortly after takeoff on Friday (local time). After the pressurization issue was reported, the plane "landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and six crew members," according to the airline. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) will investigate the incident.
Video shows missing plane window, exposed passengers, dangling oxygen masks
A viral video of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 circulating on social media shows a portion of the aircraft's fuselage, where a window should have been, missing after appearing to have been torn off, leaving passengers exposed. The footage, seemingly captured from several rows behind the incident, also shows deployed oxygen masks throughout the plane. Also, at least two individuals were seated near to and immediately behind the absent section.
'Didn't notice it until the oxygen masks came off'
Kyle Rinker, a passenger onboard the flight, told CNN, "It was really abrupt. Just got to altitude, and the window/wall just popped off, and didn't notice it until the oxygen masks came off." Emma Vu described waking up to a falling sensation and seeing emergency masks drop. Evan Smith, another passenger six rows ahead of the missing panel, told KPTV they heard "a really loud bang toward the rear of the plane and a whoosh noise" before oxygen masks dropped.
CEO's response and safety measures
After the incident, Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci apologized to those onboard, saying, "My heart goes out to those who were on this flight - I am so sorry for what you experienced." The airline is working with Boeing to understand the incident on Flight 1282, which is a 737-9 Max that received its certificate of airworthiness on October 25, 2023. While the airline acknowledged the Flight 1282 incident, it didn't specify the nature of the event.
Investigation and inspections
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will probe the Flight 1282 incident. In the meantime, Alaska Airlines grounded its entire Boeing 737-9 fleet, which will undergo thorough maintenance and safety inspections before returning to service. Boeing is gathering more information on Flight 1282 chaos.
Here's what Alaska Airlines posted on X
Previous issues with Boeing's 737 Max jets
Boeing has reportedly faced significant challenges due to engineering and quality problems in recent years. Last month, Boeing asked airlines to inspect their 737 Max jets for a potential loose bolt in the rudder system after a carrier found a potential issue with a critical part on two aircraft. Previously, crashes of two 737-8 Max jets in 2019 killed all 346 people onboard the 737-8 Max, leading to a 20-month grounding of the model and costing Boeing over $20 billion.
