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Transportation


FAA TEMPORARILY GROUNDS BOEING 737 MAX-9 AIRCRAFT AFTER IN-FLIGHT INCIDENT

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate Friday night’s
incident where an exit door blew out of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight. No
one was injured.



Boeing’s 737 MAX fleet is no stranger to scrutiny. | AP

By Oriana Pawlyk

01/06/2024 11:16 AM EST

Updated: 01/07/2024 08:09 AM EST

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The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered most of Boeing’s 737 MAX-9
aircraft to be temporarily grounded, pending inspections, after an exit panel
blew off from the Alaska Airlines airplane mid-flight late Friday.

“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes
before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a
statement, adding that “safety will continue to drive” its decision-making as
the agency assists the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into
the flight. The grounding order means about 171 airplanes worldwide will be
taken out of service until they can be inspected.



Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on X, formerly known as Twitter,
that Whitaker “has acted to order these aircraft grounded pending the
inspections necessary to ensure that they are safe to operate.”



Alaska Airlines had earlier grounded its fleet of 65 Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft,
but quickly returned a handful to flight after an inspection. But by late
Saturday the airline said they had been grounded again.

Alaska said it at first determined that 18 aircraft had thorough inspections of
the area in question after “a recent heavy maintenance visit.” However, the
airline later changed course after consulting with the FAA, stating these
aircraft won’t fly until the carrier confirms more details about possible
additional maintenance work with the FAA.

“We are in touch with the FAA to determine what, if any, further work is
required before these aircraft are returned to service,” Alaska said. Remaining
inspections will be completed in the next few days.

United Airlines — which has 79 of the aircraft in its inventory — said it
suspended service for the inspections required by the FAA.

“We are working directly with impacted customers to find them alternative travel
options,” the Chicago-based carrier said, adding the suspension will cause
roughly 60 flight cancellations on Saturday. Inspections have already been
completed on 33 aircraft, United said in a statement.

No one on board was hurt in the Alaska incident, but it raises fresh questions
about Boeing’s 737 MAX fleet, which is no stranger to scrutiny. The MAX-9 is a
different design than the MAX-8, which was grounded globally for almost two
years after two crashes overseas that killed 346 people. Multiple probes into
how the MAX-8 was certified heaped blame on both Boeing and the FAA for
inadequate oversight.

The Alaska Airlines flight had to turn back around for Portland International
Airport around 5 p.m. local time on Friday, after the crew reported a
“pressurization issue,” according to the FAA. Video on social media showed a
hole in the fuselage near where the mid-cabin exit door should be as the plane
came back to land. The plane was put into service in Oct. 2023.

According to FlightAware, a plane tracking website, the plane, bound for Ontario
International Airport in California and carrying 170 people, reached 16,000 feet
before it turned around. It was in flight for roughly 25 minutes. Several
passengers experienced injuries that required medical attention, Alaska said,
adding they have now been medically cleared.

Boeing said in a statement it agrees with and fully supports “the FAA’s decision
to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration
as the affected airplane.”




A Boeing technical team is supporting the National Transportation Safety Board,
which investigates transportation incidents, in its investigation. The NTSB
launched a team that will probe the matter, with the FAA’s support.

The 737-9 model is the second largest aircraft in the MAX family. It was
certified in 2018. There are more than 200 in service globally. The plane in
question was delivered to Alaska Airlines in October 2023.

Last month, the FAA also called for additional inspections of the 737 MAX planes
following reports of a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.

Alaska cancelled 160 total flights Saturday, affecting roughly 23,000
passengers. “We are identifying necessary cancellations for tomorrow and expect
the disruption to last through at least mid-week,” the airline said. Alaska has
an additional 240 commercial aircraft in service, including its regional fleet.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle took to X to express concerns over the
event.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member of the Commerce Committee, said he will
be “carefully tracking the investigation, particularly how this problem was not
flagged earlier in the aircraft inspection process.”

Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, also a member of the Commerce Committee,
said the near-catastrophic event raises questions about whether the 737 MAX is
safe. “Pilots have filed safety complaints on these aircraft, many of which had
just rolled off the production line, at a rate which is unbecoming of American
aviation,” Vance said.

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, another member of the committee,
said on X that, “We need answers. I’m glad the FAA & NTSB are taking action and
investigating this terrifying incident.”

The House Transportation Committee said it will continue to closely monitor
developments, including the investigative work of the NTSB.

Meanwhile, The Seattle Times on Friday reported that Boeing is petitioning the
FAA to bypass some safety standards for its Boeing 737-7 models involving the
engine’s anti-ice system. The Allied Pilots Association told the newspaper the
potential flaw “gives us great concern.”

It’s not the first time the company has looked for some leeway: In 2022, Boeing
wanted lawmakers to include a provision for its 737-7 and 737-10 airplanes which
at the time needed a safety alert system installed by that year’s end. Lawmakers
granted the extension.

On Saturday, unions applauded the FAA’s safety initiative, as the airline and
the agencies together investigate what occurred during the flight that caused
the exit door to abruptly fail.

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents Alaska Airlines flight
attendants, said it “supports the FAA’s quick and decisive action to ground
certain 737 MAX 9 Fleet that do not meet the inspection cycles specified in the
Emergency Airworthiness Directive,” it said in a statement.

“We will closely monitor the safety inspection process to ensure that aircraft
are not returned to service until they are deemed safe for all,” the union said.


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 * Filed under:
 * FAA,
 * NTSB,
 * Boeing,
 * Boeing 737 Max 8


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