It’s a nightmare scenario: In mid-air, an Alaska Airlines Boeing loses a window and parts of the fuselage burst. None of the 171 passengers are injured. The airline is now testing all aircraft of this type.
After a window and parts of the fuselage of a Boeing 737-9 Max broke during a flight, the US company Alaska Airlines is grounding all of its aircraft of the type for the time being. As a precautionary measure, each of the 65 aircraft will be carefully examined before they are allowed to fly again, said CEO Ben Minicucci. He is very sorry for the people on board the plane that had to make an emergency landing on Friday (local time). Each machine will only be put back into operation after an inspection has been completed.
Shortly after the plane took off from Portland, Oregon, the pilot reported an emergency with a sudden loss of pressure in the cabin, the website LiveATC.net reported. A passenger sent the station KATU-TV a photo showing a hole in the side of the plane next to several seats. A window was also torn out.
A photo taken by a passenger shows the interior of Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737-9 MAX after the emergency landing.
Emergency at 4,800 meters altitude
According to flight data, the Boeing was at an altitude of 4,876 meters at the time of the incident. According to FlightAware, the plane carrying 171 passengers and six crew members was back on the ground 19 minutes after takeoff. Media reported that there were only a few minor injuries.
Passenger Evan Smith told station KATU-TV that there was a loud bang in the back left corner of the plane. “There was a hissing sound and then immediately all the oxygen masks fell off.” Due to the pressure equalization, the shirt of a boy who was sitting with his mother next to the torn out window was torn off and flown out of the machine.
USAviation Authority FAA wants to investigate incident
The Boeing 737-9 Max rolled off the assembly line just two months ago and had been used on scheduled flights since November 11, according to online records from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). According to FlightRadar24, it has been used 145 times since then.
The FAA said it would investigate the case. Boeing promised to cooperate with the agency and said it was gathering additional information.
Already massive problems with Max aircraft
Boeing’s Max series have made negative headlines several times in the past: in 2018 and 2019, two Max 8 aircraft crashed, killing a total of 346 people. As a result, a global flight ban for all Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft was imposed for almost two years. The planes were only allowed to take off again after Boeing adjusted an automatic flight control system that was implicated in the crashes.
Last year, deliveries of Max aircraft were temporarily paused to correct manufacturing errors. In December, the company asked airlines to check planes for a possible loose screw in the rudder control system.