Alaska Airlines suspended its Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes after the alarming mid-flight blowout. The shocking incident happened on Friday, Jan. 5.
The affected Boeing 737 Max 9 was forced to make an emergency landing after the door plug fell out, leading to an open hole (large enough for a person to fit through) in the aircraft's fuselage.
This photograph taken on June 18, 2023 shows the Boeing 737 tail fin and a Boeing 737 Max winglet (R) during the International Paris Air Show at the ParisLe Bourget Airport.
Passengers shared their terrifying experience, saying that the wind was blowing everywhere. Luckily, no one was injured and the Boeing passenger airplane was able to land safely.
Here are other details you need to know about the latest mid-flight blowout experienced by Alaska Airlines.
Alaska Airlines Suspends Hundreds of Boeing 737 Max 9 Airplanes
The New York Times reported that 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes were suspended because of the latest Alaska Airlines in-flight blowout incident.
On Sunday, Jan. 7, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the exact unit that experienced the blowout was already barred from long flights.
"It is certainly a concern and it's one that we want to dig into," said NTSB's Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.
Authorities said that the affected Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was already at an altitude of 16,000 feet when the blowout happened. This forced the pilots to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport.
On Saturday, Jan. 6, the Federal Aviation Administration said that it began mandatory inspections to check the Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes used by different U.S.-based airlines.
These include the 65 units used by Alaska Airlines, which are now suspended from flying. Because of this, 170 flights were canceled on Sunday because of the FAA's order.
Aside from Alaska Airlines, United Airlines was also affected. This is because it has almost 80 Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes. United Airlines confirmed that it had to cancel around 270 flights over the weekend.
Read Also: Boeing Discovers 737 Max Airplane Loose Bolt Flaw; Airlines Urged To Conduct Inspections
Alaska Airlines Allegedly Had Warnings Days Before Incident
An Alaska Airlines plane takes off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on December 4, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Alaska Airlines has announced it plans to purchase rival Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal which must be approved by federal regulators.
BBC News reported that Alaska Airlines already had warnings days before the alarming mid-flight blowout incident happened. Investigators claimed that AS placed restrictions on the involved Boeing 737 Max 9.
Jennifer Homendy confirmed that pilots already reported about pressurization warning lights on the Alaska Airlines airplane. She said that these issues were identified on three previous flights of the Boeing 737 Max 9.
However, she didn't clarify if the mentioned issue was the main cause of the blowout incident. If you want to learn more about the latest issue with the Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes, you can click this link.
Related Article: Alaska Airlines, Federal Officials Ground Boeing 737 Max 9 Planes Following Mid-Air Section Blowout
