FAA orders grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft after incident

The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering the temporary grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory.

This comes as the National Transportation Safety Board launches an investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which was forced to make an emergency landing Friday evening when a piece of the plane came off during flight. Video posted online showed a hole in the plane, leaving the area exposed to the night sky.

According to an airline update, the incident occurred shortly after departure during a flight from Portland Oregon to Ontario, California. “The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and six crew members,” airline officials said.

“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a news release. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”
 
The required Emergency Airworthiness Directive inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft and will affect approximately 171 airplanes worldwide, according to the FAA.

According to the FAA, the directive was issued “to address the potential in-flight loss of a mid cabin door plug,” which it said “could result in injury to passengers and crew, the door impacting the airplane, and/or loss of control of the airplane.”

The directive was prompted by a report of “an in-flight departure of a mid cabin door plug, which resulted in a rapid decompression of the airplane.”

The airline described the occurrence as rare and emphasized the priority of safety for guests and employees.

Alaska Airlines CEO, Ben Minicucci released a statement after the incident saying, “Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days.”

Of the 65 737-9 aircraft in the airlineʻs fleet, it was determined that 18 “had in-depth and thorough plug door inspections performed as part of a recent heavy maintenance visit,” according to an online update. These 18 aircraft were cleared to return to service today. Inspections of the remaining aircraft continues.

Just last month, Alaska Airlines announced the $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines

The Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority is advising those traveling to or from the Hawaiian Islands today to check with their airline or travel advisor for any possible schedule changes as a result of this safety measure.