“The Claman Countdown” panelists John Lynch and Sheila Kahyaoglu react to an Alaska Airlines Boeing plane's door bursting mid-flight.
Alaska Airlines has canceled all flights using Boeing 737-8 Max planes through Jan. 13 after a mid-air explosion forced an emergency landing in Portland as frightened passengers clutched their oxygen masks with a gaping hole in the plane.
In an online update Wednesday, Alaska Airlines said it continues to wait for documentation from Boeing and the FAA to begin inspecting the airline's 737-9 Max fleet.
“We regret the significant disruption caused to our guests by cancellations due to the decommissioning of these aircraft. However, the safety of our employees and guests is our top priority and we will not return these aircraft to service until all findings are available.” “The issues have been fully resolved and meet all of the strict FAA and Alaska standards,” it said Update published online.
“As of this morning, we have made the decision to cancel all flights using 737-9 Max aircraft through Saturday, January 13 while we conduct inspections and fully prepare for return to service,” Alaska Airlines continued.
Critical part of an Alaska Airlines Boeing plane found in a school teacher's backyard in Portland
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was headed to Ontario, California and experienced a depressurization shortly after departure from Portland, Oregon. (Portal / Portal Photos)
“That corresponds to between 110 and 150 flights per day. We hope this measure gives guests a little more peace of mind and we are working around the clock to reaccommodate affected guests on other flights.”
This comes after Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its fleet of 65 737-9 Max aircraft back on Jan. 5 after a door plug came loose during Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, Canada. The door panel covering an additional emergency exit that is only operable on maximum capacity aircraft then exploded just minutes after takeoff at about 16,000 feet.
NTSB is investigating whether Alaska Airlines door found in Portland backyard was properly screwed together
Officials said the explosive depressurization forced the flight crew to make an emergency landing in Portland. No serious injuries were reported, but the horrific ordeal was captured in several videos shared online by passengers. Officials say two cellphones – at least one of which was still intact and in airplane mode – were found on the ground and the door plug, believed to be a key component, was recovered in a school teacher's backyard in Portand.
The NTSB continued to investigate the incident aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on a Boeing 737-9 Max and then inspected the aircraft in Portland, Oregon. (NTSB/Fox News)
“This was a harrowing flight for our guests and crew, and we are grateful that everyone has been medically cleared,” the airline said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) led the investigation into the incident with assistance from Alaska's safety and technical teams and Boeing officials.
At a news conference Monday, NTSB officials said they would investigate whether the door panel was properly screwed on.
Investigators are examining the door plug that flew out on an Alaska Airlines flight Friday, and it remains unclear whether the panel was properly screwed down. (NTSB/Fox News)
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Alaska Airlines reiterated Wednesday that three things must be in place before inspections begin: A final Multi-Operator Message (MOM) from Boeing with inspection details for the 737-9 Max aircraft, as approved by the FAA; an Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOC) published by the FAA providing details for approving operators' inspection processes to ensure compliance with its airworthiness directive; And “[d]Detailed inspection instructions and processes developed by Alaska Airlines that our maintenance technicians must follow to perform thorough inspections in accordance with FAA specifications.
The airline notes that the FAA, as a party to the NTSB investigation, is working to ensure that the inspection details take into account findings that may have come to light during this process, even if they have not yet been shared with the public.