{"id":1623,"date":"2024-01-10T09:09:42","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T23:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=1623"},"modified":"2024-01-10T09:09:43","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T23:09:43","slug":"us-regulator-investigates-boeing-737-9-max-jetliners-after-alaska-airlines-blowout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=1623","title":{"rendered":"US regulator investigates Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners after Alaska Airlines blowout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Some Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners have returned to the air after US officials grounded all flights following an Alaska Airlines incident which<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key points:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after take-off above Oregan&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>United Airlines will also temporarily suspend flights on about nine aircraft of the same model<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alaska Airlines said it had completed more than a quarter of inspections and found no issue<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Boeing 737-9 Max planes were grounded for inspections which took about four to eight hours per aircraft and will affect about 171 airplanes worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Major US airline, United Airlines, said it would also temporarily suspend flights on about five aircraft of the same model.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It would continue to operate 33 planes that had already received the necessary inspection required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after take-off&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2024-01-06\/alaska-airlines-grounds-all-boeing-737-9-air-craft\/103290596\">almost five kilometres above Oregon late on Friday.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The incident created a gaping hole and forced pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au\/12204651ce63d9066a441b856ea27f40?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&amp;cropH=2016&amp;cropW=3024&amp;xPos=0&amp;yPos=1008&amp;width=862&amp;height=575\" alt=\"Oxygen masks dangle in front of several plane seats with the window missing from a plane.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oxygen masks dropped in front of the passengers after the plane lost a window.<em>(Reuters: Kyle Rinker)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>No-one was seriously hurt as the depressurised plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after it had departed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The airline has since grounded&nbsp;18 Boeing MAX 9 airplanes pending potential additional maintenance work US regulators may require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, it has resumed flights on 18 of its 65 MAX 9 planes which received in-depth inspections as part of heavy maintenance checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2022-06-27\/boeing-737-max-in-mid-air-emergencies-as-us-set-to-launch-probe\/101175214\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2022-06-27\/boeing-737-max-in-mid-air-emergencies-as-us-set-to-launch-probe\/101175214\">Ed sounded the alarm after two plane crashes killed 346 people. He fears history will repeat itself<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2022-06-27\/boeing-737-max-in-mid-air-emergencies-as-us-set-to-launch-probe\/101175214\">Reports from flight crews show Boeing&#8217;s 737 MAX aircraft was involved in six mid-air emergencies in the US in the year after it was cleared to return to the skies following two fatal crashes.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2022-06-27\/boeing-737-max-in-mid-air-emergencies-as-us-set-to-launch-probe\/101175214\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au\/a5a43500e41ee970fcc4f65860d97a6f?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&amp;cropH=607&amp;cropW=1080&amp;xPos=0&amp;yPos=0&amp;width=862&amp;height=485\" alt=\"A jet in Boeing blue colours is parked on icy tarmac in front of a beige air hangar.\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2022-06-27\/boeing-737-max-in-mid-air-emergencies-as-us-set-to-launch-probe\/101175214\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Transportation Safety Board along with US regulator Federal Aviation Administration said it will also investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Boeing says it fully supports the decision to inspect the jetliners, and was working to gather more information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are currently no Boeing 737 Max 9s flown by any airlines in Australia, Australia&#8217;s Civil Aviation Safety Authority said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Europe&#8217;s air safety agency has adopted FAA&#8217;s inspection order,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>while the&nbsp;UK&#8217;s Civil Aviation Authority said there were no 737-Max planes registered there.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Whooshing sound&#8217; as window blows out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Passenger Evan Smith said a boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the window blew out and the child&#8217;s shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You heard a big loud bang to the left rear. A whooshing sound and all the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everyone got those on,&#8221; Mr Smith told KATU-TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au\/9548feb622c22af6f217b1b0fa27a682?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&amp;cropH=576&amp;cropW=1024&amp;xPos=0&amp;yPos=0&amp;width=862&amp;height=485\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aerospace design expert Sonya Brown says the 737-9 incident involved a plug in an emergency exit and is yet to see if it is a design issue.&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Passenger Emma Vu told Reuters she initially thought there was just a crack in the window.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m so grateful we weren&#8217;t higher in the air,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I think that&#8217;s incredible that we&#8217;re all safe for the most part.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The model makes up a fifth of the company&#8217;s 314 planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred \u2026 and will share updates as more information is available,&#8221;&nbsp;Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;My heart goes out to those who were on this flight \u2013 I am so sorry for what you experienced.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au\/b45de58a6b7d7f22a968daa06f4cde7d?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&amp;cropH=2628&amp;cropW=3942&amp;xPos=0&amp;yPos=0&amp;width=862&amp;height=575\" alt=\"Three planes are lined up on an airport runway with road cones behind.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alaska Airlines has grounded all of its 737-9 aircraft.&nbsp;<em>(AP: Ted S Warren)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Port of Portland, which operates the airport, told KPTV the fire department treated minor injuries at the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One person was taken for more treatment, but wasn&#8217;t seriously hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flight 1282 had taken off from Portland at 5:07pm on Friday, local time, for a two-hour flight to Ontario, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About six minutes later, the window and a chunk of the fuselage blew out as the plane was at about 4.8 kilometres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the pilots declared an emergency and asked for clearance to descend to 3 kilometres, the altitude where the air would have enough oxygen to breathe safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&#038;embedId=twitter-widget-0&#038;features=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%3D%3D&#038;frame=false&#038;hideCard=false&#038;hideThread=false&#038;id=1743712455585341512&#038;lang=en&#038;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2024-01-07%2Fboeing-737-9-max-grounded-after-alaska-airlines-blowout%2F103291118&#038;sessionId=dd5b2d68ce251cba724bdf70ac0fe6eee7475e6c&#038;siteScreenName=abcnews&#038;theme=light&#038;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&#038;width=550px<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Videos posted by passengers online showed a gaping hole where the window had been and passengers wearing their masks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">History of Max groundings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Max is the newest version of Boeing&#8217;s 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane frequently used on US domestic flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plane went into service in May 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and leading to a near two-year worldwide grounding of all Max 8 and Max 9 planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The planes returned to service only after Boeing made changes to an automated flight control system implicated in the crashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Max deliveries have been interrupted at times to fix manufacturing flaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company told airlines in December to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder-control system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AP\/ Reuters&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners have returned to the air after US officials grounded all flights following an Alaska Airlines incident which&nbsp;left a gaping hole [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":1649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[312],"tags":[313,11],"class_list":["post-1623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation","tag-aircraft","tag-usa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1623"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1650,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1623\/revisions\/1650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}