Federal officials issued the order Saturday. Immediate grounding Some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners have been stored pending inspection after an Alaska Airlines jet suffered a flat tire that left a large hole in the side of its fuselage.
The required inspections will take approximately four to eight hours per aircraft and will involve approximately 171 aircraft worldwide.
Alaska Airlines said in a statement that 18 of its 65 737 Max 9 aircraft were cleared to return to service on Saturday after crews inspected paneled exits as part of recent maintenance work. announced. Inspections of the remaining aircraft are expected to be completed within the next few days, the company said.
An Alaska Airlines jetliner exploded shortly after takeoff 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) over Oregon late Friday, leaving 171 passengers and six crew members wearing oxygen masks and forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. I was forced to.
The depressurized plane returned safely to Portland International Airport approximately 20 minutes after departure, and no one was seriously injured.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told the News that authorities are still searching the paneled exit door and have a good idea of where it fell, along Oregon State Route 217. near Burns Road in the Cedar Hills neighborhood of west Portland, he said. Conference late Saturday.
“If you see it, please contact your local law enforcement,” she said.
Homendy said it was very fortunate that the plane had not yet reached cruising altitude and passengers and flight attendants could have been walking around on board.
“No one was sitting in 26A and B, where the door plugs are located. The plane was at an altitude of about 16,000 feet and only 10 minutes from the airport when the doors blew,” she said. Ta.
Headrests were missing from seats 26A and 25A, and part of the backrest was missing from seat 26A. Homendy said clothing items were also scattered around the area.
Passenger Evan Smith said the boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the panel was blown off, and the child’s shirt was sucked off the boy and the plane.
“We heard a loud bang in the rear left. There was a hissing sound and all the oxygen masks were immediately deployed and everyone put them on,” Smith said. Katsu TV.
Homendy could not confirm reports that anyone had their shirts sucked out by the decompression, and could not yet provide details about what happened to those seated closest to the blown-out plane.
Homendy and NTSB investigators arrived in Portland on Saturday to begin what is expected to be a months-long investigation.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said it could take several days to complete inspections of the airline’s 737-9 aircraft. These account for his one-fifth of the company’s 314 aircraft.
“We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what happened and will share updates as more information becomes available,” Minicucci said. “My deepest sympathies go out to the people on this flight. I am truly sorry for what they experienced.”
By midday, Alaska Airlines had canceled more than 100 flights, or 15% of its Saturday schedule, according to FlightAware. United Airlines announced that approximately 60 passengers will be canceled due to aircraft inspections.
This was announced by the Port of Portland, which operates the airport. KPTV The fire department reportedly treated minor injuries at the scene. One person received further treatment but did not have serious injuries.
Flight 1282 took off from Portland at 5:07 p.m. Friday for a two-hour flight to Ontario, California. About six minutes later, part of the plane was blown away at an altitude of about 16,000 feet (4.8 kilometers).one of the pilots declared a state of emergency He requested permission to descend to 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), the altitude at which there is enough oxygen in the air to safely breathe.
“We have to turn back to Portland,” the pilot told air traffic controllers in a calm voice throughout the landing.
Videos posted online by passengers showed a gaping hole where the paneled exit had been and passengers wearing masks. They applauded when the plane landed safely, about 13 minutes after the explosion. Firefighters then came down the aisle and asked passengers to remain seated while the injured were treated.
The aircraft involved came off the assembly line and was certified two months ago, officials said. Online FAA records. Flight Radar 24, another tracking service, says it has operated 145 flights since it began commercial operations on Nov. 11. The flight from Portland was the third plane of the day.
Aviation experts were surprised to see debris flying off the new aircraft. Anthony Brickhouse, a professor of aerospace safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said he’s seen fuselage panels come off planes before, but he doesn’t recall seeing passengers “gazing out at the city lights.” He said there was no.
He said the incident was a reminder to passengers to keep their seat belts fastened.
“If there had been a passenger in the window seat who happened to have unbuckled his seatbelt, we would have seen a completely different story.”
The Max is the latest version of Boeing’s venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle aircraft frequently used on U.S. domestic flights. This plane entered service in May 2017.
The president of the union representing flight attendants at 19 airlines, including Alaska Airlines, praised flight attendants for keeping passengers safe.
“Flight attendants are trained to prepare for emergencies, and we work first and foremost to keep aviation safe on every flight,” Flight Attendants Association President Sarah Nelson said in a statement Saturday. .
Two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and lasting nearly two years. global grounding of all Max 8 and Max 9 airplanes. It returned to service only after Boeing made changes to the automatic flight control system involved in the crash.
Last year, the FAA instructed pilots to: restrict use Max’s anti-icing system was not used in dry conditions due to concerns that the air intakes around the engine could overheat and damage, potentially causing a crash with the plane.
Max deliveries were occasionally interrupted to correct manufacturing defects. In December, the airline told airlines to inspect planes for foreign objects. loose bolt with the rudder control system.
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This article has been updated to clarify that some, but not all, Max 9 jetliners are subject to inspection and to correct the number of passengers to 171.
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Koenig reported from Dallas. Boler reported from Juneau, Alaska. Associated Press writers Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hawaii, contributed.