Alaska Airlines has once again grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners following indications from federal officials that further maintenance might be necessary to prevent another inflight incident like the one that damaged one of its planes. The decision came after a portion of one plane’s fuselage blew out three miles above Oregon on Friday night, causing the depressurized aircraft to return safely to Portland International Airport with no serious injuries.
The airline had initially returned 18 of its 65 737 Max 9 aircraft to service on Saturday after inspections, but these aircraft have now also been pulled from service until details about possible additional maintenance work are confirmed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Other versions of the 737 are not affected.
The FAA had ordered the grounding of some 737 Max 9s on Saturday for inspections, which take about four hours. Currently, the world’s airlines are operating about 171 737 Max 9s globally.
The aircraft make up about 20% of Alaska Airlines’ fleet. As a result of the grounding, Alaska had canceled about a fifth of its Sunday flights, according to FlightAware.com. United Airlines, which also grounded its Max 9s, had about a 10% cancellation rate on Sunday.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating Friday’s accident and is searching for the door from the paneled-over exit that blew out. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that they have a good idea of where it landed near Oregon Route 217 and Barnes Road in the Cedar Hills area west of Portland. She urged anyone who finds it to contact local law enforcement.
The incident occurred shortly after takeoff from Portland on Flight 1282, bound for Ontario, California. About six minutes into the flight, the fuselage blew out, prompting an emergency descent to a lower altitude for oxygen. Passengers applauded when the plane landed safely.
This incident raises concerns about the safety of the Max, which has faced scrutiny since two crashes in 2018 and 2019 led to a worldwide grounding. Boeing has made changes to the aircraft’s automated flight control system implicated in the crashes, and the Max returned to service after the modifications.
Alaska Airlines has grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners following indications from federal officials that further maintenance might be necessary to prevent another inflight incident like the one that damaged one of its planes. The decision came after a portion of one plane’s fuselage blew out three miles above Oregon on Friday night, causing the depressurized aircraft to return safely to Portland International Airport with no serious injuries.
The airline had initially returned 18 of its 65 737 Max 9 aircraft to service on Saturday after inspections, but these aircraft have now also been pulled from service until details about possible additional maintenance work are confirmed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Other versions of the 737 are not affected.
The FAA had ordered the grounding of some 737 Max 9s on Saturday for inspections, which take about four hours. Currently, the world’s airlines are operating about 171 737 Max 9s globally.
The aircraft make up about 20% of Alaska Airlines’ fleet. As a result of the grounding, Alaska had canceled about a fifth of its Sunday flights, according to FlightAware.com. United Airlines, which also grounded its Max 9s, had about a 10% cancellation rate on Sunday.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating Friday’s accident and is searching for the door from the paneled-over exit that blew out. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that they have a good idea of where it landed near Oregon Route 217 and Barnes Road in the Cedar Hills area west of Portland. She urged anyone who finds it to contact local law enforcement.
The incident occurred shortly after takeoff from Portland on Flight 1282, bound for Ontario, California. About six minutes into the flight, the fuselage blew out, prompting an emergency descent to a lower altitude for oxygen. Passengers applauded when the plane landed safely.
This incident raises concerns about the safety of the Max, which has faced scrutiny since two crashes in 2018 and 2019 led to a worldwide grounding. Boeing has made changes to the aircraft’s automated flight control system implicated in the crashes, and the Max returned to service after the modifications.
