by PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Alaska Airlines grounded its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners again Sunday after federal officials indicated that more maintenance may be needed to ensure another flight like this one does not blow up. which damaged one of his planes. again.
The airline had returned 18 of its 65 737 Max 9 aircraft to service on Saturday following inspections that came less than 24 hours after part of one plane’s fuselage overturned three miles (4.8 kilometers) above over Oregon on Friday night that blew out. The depressurized plane, which was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, returned safely to Portland International Airport with no serious injuries.
The airline said in a statement that the decision was made after receiving notification from the Federal Aviation Administration that additional work may be required. Other versions of the 737 are not affected.
“These aircraft have now been withdrawn from service as well until details of possible additional maintenance work are confirmed with the FAA. We are in contact with the FAA to determine what, if any, additional work is required before returning these aircraft to service,” the airline said.
The FAA ordered some 737 Max 9s to be grounded Saturday until they could be inspected, a process that takes about four hours. The world’s airlines currently operate approximately 171 737 Max 9s worldwide.
The aircraft represent approximately 20% of the Alaska Airlines fleet. As of midday, Alaska had canceled about a fifth of its Sunday flights, according to FlightAware.com. United Airlines, which also grounded its 9s Max, had a cancellation rate of about 10% on Sunday.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating Friday’s crash and is still looking for the exit door panel that blew out. They have a good idea of where it landed, near Oregon Route 217 and Barnes Road in the Cedar Hills area west of Portland, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference late Saturday.
“If you find that, please contact local law enforcement,” she said.
He was lucky the plane had not yet reached cruising altitude, when passengers and flight attendants could have walked around the cabin, Homendy said.
“There was nobody sitting in 26A and B where that door plug is, the aircraft was about 16,000 feet and only 10 minutes out of the airport when the door blew,” she said. The investigation is expected to take months.
There has not been a major domestic accident involving a US passenger carrier since 2009 when a Colgan Air flight crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing 49 people on board and one on the ground. In 2013, an Asiana Airlines flight from South Korea crashed at San Francisco International Airport, killing three of the 307 people on board.
Flight 1282 took off from Portland at 5:07 pm on Friday for a two-hour flight to Ontario, California. About six minutes later, a chunk of the fuselage blew off as the plane was about 16,000 feet (4.8 kilometers). One of the pilots declared an emergency and requested a clearance down to 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), the height where there would be enough oxygen in the air to breathe safely.
Videos posted online by passengers showed a gaping hole in the paneled exit and passengers wearing masks. They praised when the plane landed safely about 13 minutes after the blow-up. Firefighters then came down the aisle, telling passengers to stay in their seats while they treated the injured.
The aircraft in question rolled off the assembly line and received certification two months ago, according to online FAA records. It had been on 145 flights since entering commercial service Nov. 11, said FlightRadar24, another tracking service. The flight from Portland was the aircraft’s third day.
Aviation experts were amazed that a piece of a new aircraft would fly. Anthony Brickhouse, professor of aerospace safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said he’s seen fuselage panels coming off planes before, but couldn’t recall one where passengers are “looking at the city lights.”
He said the incident is a reminder to passengers to stay on their toes.
“If there was a passenger in that window seat who happened to have his seat belt off, we would be looking at a completely different news story.”
The Max is the newest version of Boeing’s venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane often used on US domestic flights. The aircraft entered service in May 2017.
The president of the union representing flight attendants at 19 airlines, including Alaska Airlines, praised the crew for keeping passengers safe.
“Flight Attendants are trained for emergencies and we operate every flight with aviation safety first and foremost,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Flight Attendants Association, in a statement Saturday.
Two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and leading to a nearly two-year worldwide grounding of all Max 8 and Max 9 planes. They only returned to service after Boeing made changes automated flight control system involved in the crashes.
Last year, the FAA told pilots to limit the use of anti-icing systems on the Max in dry conditions because of concerns that inlets around the engines could overheat and break off, possibly killing the plane. hit
Maximum deliveries were sometimes interrupted to fix manufacturing defects. The company told airlines in December to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.
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Koenig reported from Dallas. Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska. Associated Press reporters Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hawaii assisted.
