- The Washington Times - Saturday, January 6, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered the immediate grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Air Max 9 aircraft for inspection following an incident in which a panel of fuselage blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight. 

The agency’s “emergency airworthiness directive” will affect planes worldwide and applies to U.S. airliners and airlines operating in U.S. territories. 

“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 Max 9 planes before they can return to flight,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the [National Transportation Safety Board’s] investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”

The required inspections take around four to eight hours per aircraft, affecting about 171 airplanes worldwide. As of Saturday morning, inspections on more than a quarter of the fleet were complete “with no concerning findings,” Boeing said.

The grounding comes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, bound for Ontario, California on Friday, returned to Portland, Oregon, shortly after taking off.

A window and portion of the aircraft’s fuselage blew out shortly after takeoff, producing a gaping hole in the side of the plane after the aircraft reached about three miles of altitude above Oregon. 

The plane landed safely, and none of the 174 passengers were seriously injured. Oxygen masks were activated during the partial loss of cabin pressure.

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said the company immediately grounded its 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 fleet for inspection following the incident and that inspections could take days to complete. They make up a fifth of the company’s 314 planes. It wasn’t immediately known Saturday how that would affect the company’s flight schedule.

“Safety will always be the top priority for our Department and for FAA,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on X. “Administrator Whitaker has acted to order these aircraft grounded pending the inspections necessary to ensure that they are safe to operate.”

Boeing said the company supported the FAA’s decision in a statement shortly after the agency’s announcement. 

“Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers,” the company said. “We agree with and fully support the FAA’s decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane.”

Some lawmakers said they will demand answers from Boeing.

“The FAA has assured me the 737-MAX is safe - last night’s near catastrophe calls that determination into question,” Sen. J.D. Vance, Ohio Republican, posted on X. “Pilots have filed safety complaints on these aircraft, many of which had just rolled off the production line, at a rate which is unbecoming of American aviation.”

Mr. Vance said, “My own family has flown on 737-MAX aircraft multiple times in the past year. Every American deserves a full explanation from Boeing and the FAA on what’s gone wrong and on the steps that are being taken to ensure another incident does not occur in the future.”

Flight 1282 had taken off from Portland at 5:07 p.m. Friday for a two-hour flight to Ontario, California. About six minutes later, the window and a chunk of the fuselage blew out as the plane was at about 16,000 feet. One of the pilots declared an emergency and asked for clearance to descend to 10,000 feet, an altitude where the air would have enough oxygen to breathe safely.

“We need to turn back to Portland,” the pilot told controllers in a calm voice that she maintained throughout the landing process.

Videos posted by passengers online showed a gaping hole where the window had been and passengers wearing their masks. They applauded when the plane landed safely about 13 minutes after the window blew out. Firefighters then came down the aisle, asking passengers to remain in their seats as they treated the injured.

The aircraft involved rolled off the assembly line and received its certification just two months ago, according to online FAA records. The plane had been on 145 flights since entering commercial service on Nov. 11, said FlightRadar24, another tracking service. The flight from Portland was the aircraft’s third of the day.

The Max is the newest version of Boeing’s venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane frequently used on U.S. domestic flights. The plane went into service in May 2017.

Late last month, Boeing urged airlines to inspect 737 Max planes for possible loose bolts in the rudder control system.

— This article is based in part on wire service reports.

• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.

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