National Transportation Safety Board
On January 5, 2024, an in-flight door plug exploded on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9.
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The aviation industry remains in shock. close to disaster On January 5, 2024, a 60-pound “door plug” blew off a nearly new Boeing 737 MAX 9 while flying at an altitude of 16,000 feet, leaving a large hole in the fuselage.
In response to the, The Federal Aviation Administration suspended the flight. All 737 MAX 9 aircraft are equipped with such plugs, and aviation authorities in other countries following.
The industry is watching closely.
Many reports have emphasized that excellent safety record It had a huge impact on the global aviation industry, especially since the Alaska Airlines crew landed the plane without anyone dying. We congratulate the outstanding performance of airline employees, air traffic controllers, and emergency responders who accomplished this remarkable feat.
However, as a former United Airlines pilot Currently teaching at Yale University School of Business.I think the wrong question is being asked about what happened on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. National Transportation Safety Board and numerous news organization We explained that door plugs are commonly used to seal off unused exits on commercial airliners. The question we need to ask is why don’t airlines use all of the emergency exits on their aircraft? Wouldn’t that make passengers safer?
It’s all about money.
Airlines spend a lot of money.Some, for example jet fuel, the calculation becomes easier. Some locations are more opaque to travelers, such as emergency exits.
Believe it or not, there is a price to pay for emergency exits to work for airlines. Each aircraft requires regular maintenance and frequent inspections. For example, to ensure that emergency evacuation slides function properly. Additionally, for safety reasons, flight attendants must man the emergency exits during takeoff and landing.
In other words, every time you leave a job, you incur associated costs such as salary, health benefits, pension plans, training, and related costs. Closing emergency exits reduces costs.
But do all those emergency exits matter? From the U.S. government’s perspective, not necessarily.
NTSB/Handouts/Reuters
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators are examining the plug section of the aircraft at the facility where Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was recovered in Portland, Oregon.
In the United States, airlines must comply with federal aviation regulations that govern aircraft maintenance procedures and onboard personnel placement, as well as minimum standards for emergency exits.
The problem is that Boeing sells the same plane to different airlines with different needs.
Boeing notes that its 737 MAX 9 can carry up to 220 passengers and must be built with a certain number of emergency exits due to U.S. regulations.this dense seating arrangement It’s common on low-cost global airlines such as Jakarta-based Lion Air.
However, given Americans’ desire for legroom, most US airlines have significantly fewer seats than 220. less than 190 As the number of seats increases, the regulations reduce the number of emergency exits available.Alaska Airlines Max 9 is just 178 seats.
Under these circumstances, federal regulations allow airlines to disable these exits and block the openings. That’s exactly what happened with Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, and “door plug” suddenly entered the American vernacular.
01:50 – Source: CNN
Hear from a ‘traumatized’ Alaska Airlines passenger
This kind of workaround is approved, but I’m not sure if this is what’s best for aviation safety. Wouldn’t it be better if the FAA required all exits to be usable in an emergency, regardless of the number of seats on the aircraft, even if it meant additional cost to airlines?
The 737 MAX is an airplane with many firsts, but not all of them are positive.
The MAX is the latest model in Boeing’s 737 series of aircraft. The 737 family far outperforms all its rivals. The most popular commercial airliner of all timeSince its release in 1967, more than 10,000 units have been sold worldwide.
Some airlines, such as Southwest Airlines in the United States and Ryanair in Ireland, only fly 737s. It is a key element of their low-cost business strategy. By operating only one type of aircraft, these airlines enjoy greater schedule flexibility while reducing maintenance and training costs.
This means that demand for the latest 737 was high. When the FAA certified the 737 MAX as safe to fly in 2017, Boeing had already received Over 3,600 new orders from 83 customers.
But soon after, two crashes that A total of 346 people were killed. This is also the first time that the 737 MAX has been grounded for almost two years. Longest airline grounding in aviation history. The sale of the $121 million MAX was expected to result in a profit of $12 million. important incentives Boeing continued developing the MAX even though it was already known to be a dangerously flawed aircraft design.
In 2020, FAA recertifies MAX as ‘safe to fly’; By 2023, Boeing had recorded total orders for more than 7,000 MAX aircraft. much more solar eclipse Sales of other types of passenger aircraft. This fact alone should raise safety concerns. It may soon become impossible to avoid flying on a 737 MAX, especially in the US domestic market.United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines We’re all flying MAX now..
In case of damage to airplane parts or passenger cell phones rain falls from the skythis may be a sign that the industry needs to think more seriously about unintended costs and consequences.
Amy Freier is a lecturer in business administration at Yale University.
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