Some 737 Max 9 aircrafts returning to service after part blew off Alaska Airlines plane
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The FAA has grounded more than 100 Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes after a panel blew out from an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight this weekend. By Saturday night at least 18 Max 9s were reportedly back in service.
This is the 737's second mass grounding in recent years. The last ground order lasted months and cost Boeing tens of billions of dollars. That grounding, after the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes, lasted from roughly March 2019 to December 2020. The FAA says these inspections should take anywhere from four to eight hours per aircraft. This prompted one expert to say there will be "minimal" disruptions this time and that these larger planes are usually kept overnight in hub cities like Chicago, which makes it easier to replace them and get those inspections completed.
Some of the video captured by passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, Friday show the way a panel, called a door plug, fell out about 20 minutes into the flight.
That panel towards the back of the plane caused an air pressure change that ripped the shirt from a passenger's body and deployed air masks.
One expert said that investigators will now look into whether this is a design error or a mistake by vendors--a shocking issue at 16,000 feet.
"I wasn't afraid or anything," said passenger Jessica Montoia. "I don't know why. And the people... nobody really screamed or anything."
"I woke up to the plane just falling, and I knew it was not just normal turbulence because the masks came down," said passenger Emma Vu.
"It could have been more catastrophic," said former senior NTSB investigator Greg Feith. "Had that airplane been at 35,000 feet, where the cabin differential would have been greater, you probably would have had serious injuries if not fatalities, and the structure of the aircraft could have been compromised even more than it is."
This will affect 171 planes worldwide. Right now Chicago-based United has 79 of the 737 Max 9 planes. The airline has temporarily suspended service on all of them to conduct inspections required by the FAA. United expected about 60 flight cancelations Saturday due to the grounding.
United Airlines released the following statement Saturday:
United has temporarily suspended service on all Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to conduct inspections required by the FAA. We are working with the FAA to clarify the inspection process and the requirements for returning all MAX 9 aircraft to service.
- United has 79 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft
- We are working with impacted customers to reaccomodate them on other aircraft
- Further questions regarding the inspections and return to service requirements should be directed to the FAA
