The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it is launching a formal investigation into the Boeing 737 MAX 9 after a cabin panel blew out an Alaska Airlines flight mid-air last week, forcing an emergency landing.
The FAA grounded 171 Boeing jets fitted with the same panel after the landing, most of which were operated by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, pending a safety inspection.
The FAA said the Alaska Airlines MAX 9 incident “should not have happened and it cannot happen again.” It told Boeing of the investigation in a letter on Wednesday “to determine whether Boeing failed to ensure the finished product conformed to the approved design and was in a safe condition for operation in compliance with FAA regulations” and after learning of “additional discrepancies.”
“We will cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA and NTSB in their investigation,” Boeing said in a statement of the investigation.
Its shares fell 1.6% on Thursday.
A cabin panel blew out an Alaska Airlines flight mid-air last week, forcing an emergency landing. ZUMAPRESS.com
Both Alaska and United said Monday they had found loose parts on some of the grounded planes during preliminary inspections, raising new concerns about how Boeing’s best-selling jet family is manufactured.
The carrier still needs revised inspection and maintenance instructions from Boeing that must be approved by the FAA before they can begin flying the aircraft again.
Boeing on Tuesday told staff the discovery was considered a “quality control issue” and inspections were underway at Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems, Reuters previously reported.
Alaska Airlines and United said they had found loose parts on some of the grounded planes during preliminary inspections, raising new concerns about how Boeing’s best-selling jet family is manufactured. ZUMAPRESS.com
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told CNBC on Wednesday that “quality escapement” was an issue in the MAX 9 cabin explosion. The Alaska Airlines flight had taken off from Portland, Oregon, and was flying at an altitude of 16,000 feet when the panel tore off the plane, which had been operating for eight weeks only. The pilot returned the full jet to Portland, with only minor injuries to the people on board.
Boeing’s manufacturing practices “need to adhere to the high safety standards for which they are legally responsible,” the FAA added.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg declined to say Wednesday when the FAA might allow the plane to resume flights but said it would only happen when it was safe.
“The only consideration on the timeline is safety,” Buttigieg told reporters. “Until it’s ready, it’s not ready. No one can or should rush the process.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
