On Friday, much of the cabin of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 with 177 people on board, which was just a few weeks old, burst during climb. Videos shared by passengers show a hole the size of an airplane door on the left side of the plane, at the level of the rows of seats. According to media reports, the seat next to the hole was unoccupied. Through the hole in the fuselage one could see the black night, behind it a row of seats, strapped in passengers wearing oxygen masks.
Records show that the crew in the cockpit reacted immediately: “We are declaring an emergency,” read a radio message to air traffic control. First you need to descend to 10,000 feet (about 3,000 meters). This is the height below which breathing is considered possible for healthy people without additional oxygen. The plane was on its way from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, but turned back after the incident. Passengers and crew escaped in horror: there were no reports of possible injuries.
USA: Part of the cabin ripped off during flight
In the USA, part of the cabin of an aircraft from the North American company Alaska Airlines was ripped off during the flight. The 171 passengers were immediately given oxygen masks and the plane was able to land safely. All Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft will remain grounded for now, it was said.
First inspections already completed
It was initially unclear what exactly came out of the machine. Photos taken by passengers showed that part of the fuselage, sometimes used as an optional door in the middle of the cabin, had been torn away, leaving a door-shaped opening. An additional door is usually installed by low-cost airlines that utilize additional seats and require more evacuation routes.
Portal/Instagram/@strawberrvy Despite the hole in the side, the crew managed to land the plane safely
Alaska Airlines chief Ben Minicucci said shortly after the incident that the fleet of 65 similar Boeing 737 aircraft would only return to service after safety inspections. The airline later announced that more than a quarter of inspections had been completed. No problems were identified. Alaska Airlines announced that 18 aircraft have been put back into service – inspection of the remaining Boeing 737 Max 9 will be completed “in the coming days.”
Boeing said it was investigating the incident and gathering more information. The 737 Max 9 was only delivered to Alaska Airlines at the end of October. The immediate inspection of certain Boeing 737 Max aircraft required by the FAA after the Alaska Airlines incident takes four to eight hours, Portal reported with reference to FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker.
Remembering fatal accidents
Saturday's incident comes as Boeing and a key supplier face production and quality issues, according to Portal. The incident is likely to cause unrest among airlines and manufacturer Boeing. Boeing has already announced that it will support the investigation. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also said he had been briefed on the incident. The FAA will take all necessary measures, Buttigieg said in a post on the short message service X (Twitter).
I have been informed of last night's incident and remain in close contact with the FAA regarding the response. Thankful to the flight crew who kept passengers safe during this terrible incident. The FAA is supporting the NTSB's investigation and will take all appropriate actions in the future. https://t.co/dlZtUJiF4E
– Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) January 6, 2024
The Alaska Airlines incident also has consequences in Europe. British aviation regulator CAA said on Saturday night that there were no such machines registered in Britain. However, all non-UK airlines have been written to confirm that they carry out security checks before entering British airspace.
Meanwhile, the Indian aviation authority has ordered an inspection of all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. None of the Indian airlines have Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in their fleet, as announced by the country's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). However, following the Alaska Airlines incident, as a precautionary measure, “all Indian airlines have been directed to immediately conduct a one-time inspection of emergency exits on all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft currently operating in their fleet.”
New plane
India has also likely reacted to concerns specifically associated with Boeing's 737 Max series. Because, contrary to Friday's benign outcome, two emergencies in 2018 and 2019 ended catastrophically and led to the 737 Max series being banned from takeoff. There were a total of 346 deaths in the two crashes. The main cause is believed to have been a faulty control program that caused the machines to fall to the ground.
Boeing then revised the type and gradually received recertifications. Alaska Airlines has also increased its fleet in recent years with an improved version of the 737 Max 9. According to FAA data, the now broken aircraft only entered service in November of last year.
Aviation expert John Strickland told the BBC that the current incident cannot be compared to the crashes four years ago. The 737 Max has had a “tremendous safety record” since returning to service. “We know very little about why this part of the fuselage fell off.” But this has nothing to do with the original defects of the 737 series.