The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered several Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes off the air temporarily after a panel exploded on an Alaska Airlines flight Friday afternoon, prompting an emergency landing.
“The FAA will order the temporary grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by US airlines or on US territory,” the agency posted on X Saturday.
The grounding involved approximately 171 aircraft worldwide.
The FAA said its Emergency Airworthiness Directive “will require operators to inspect aircraft prior to further flight.”
The required inspections take four to eight hours for each aircraft, the command said.
The FAA order came less than 24 hours after a side panel on an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 blew off mid-flight, forcing the Ontario, California-bound plane to divert for an emergency landing in Portland.
The FAA requires an immediate inspection of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft before they can return to flight.
Security will continue to drive our decisions as we help @NTSBInvestigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. – @FAA_Mike pic.twitter.com/YsuQimg2pq
— FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 6, 2024
An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing after a panel blew off the side of the plane. Instagram/@strawberrvy via REUTE A passenger’s oxygen mask hangs from the roof next to a missing window and part of the side wall of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. Kyle Rinker via REUTERS
One person was hospitalized, but no serious injuries were reported, KPTV-Portland reporter Debra Gil posted on X.
Alaska Airlines grounded its MAX 9 fleet shortly after Friday’s incident.
Shortly before the FAA’s announcement, CNBC reported that United Airlines had grounded dozens of its MAX 9s, pending inspections.
One person was hospitalized, but no serious injuries were reported, according to reports. Instagram/@strawberrvy via REUTE Alaska Airlines grounded its MAX 9 fleet shortly after Friday’s incident. FOX 12 Alaska Airlines had already begun inspecting its MAX 9 fleet when the FAA ordered the planes grounded. AP
United and Alaska are among the biggest users of the jet, which is a larger variant of the Boeing 737 MAX-8 involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2019.
Boeing said it supports the move. “Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers,” the manufacturer said in a statement. “We agree with and fully support the FAA’s decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 aircraft with the same configuration as the affected aircraft.”
“We will remain in close contact with regulators and our customers,” the statement said.
The company also said it was sending a technical team to support the NTSB’s investigation into the incident.
Alaska Airlines has returned several jets to service after inspections revealed no troubling issues, the Wall Street Journal reported. United said it canceled 60 flights because of the suspension, according to trade publication Aviation Source News.
This is a developing story. Please keep checking back for updates.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
