According to CCTV News on January 7, 2024, citing the US Consumer News and Business Channel on January 6, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States has ordered airlines to ground more than 170 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, following a damage to the side of the cabin of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft during flight. This emergency airworthiness directive will affect approximately 171 related aircraft models worldwide. According to statistics, Boeing has delivered 218 737 MAX 9 aircraft worldwide.
On the 6th local time, Alaska Airlines announced on its official social media account that the company has decided to temporarily suspend 65 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. On the afternoon of the 5th local time, an Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, with a window and part of the fuselage missing. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Commission of the United States have stated that they will investigate the accident. Boeing stated that it has been informed of the accident and is collecting more information to cooperate with the investigation.
According to CCTV News on January 6th, Alaska Airlines stated in a statement that its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, with flight number 1282, flew from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California on the same day. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft experienced an accident and immediately returned. At that time, the plane was carrying 171 passengers and 6 crew members. It is reported that the 737MAX9 aircraft operating this flight is only 0.3 years old, with registration number N704AL. The New York Times reported that the aircraft was certified in November 2023 and put into commercial service that month. Since then, it has operated 145 flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States stated that before the aircraft returned, the crew reported a loss of pressure on the aircraft. According to US media reports, a portion of the aircraft's fuselage fell into the air at the time of the incident. The report states that the dropped component is the rear emergency escape hatch, which is generally used during remote flight missions; But most American airlines do not use this emergency door position and instead arrange seats as regular window seats.
Passenger involved in the aircraft: The dropped component is as wide as the refrigerator and is about two-thirds the height of the refrigerator. There was a loud noise coming from the left side of the plane, and all the oxygen masks popped out. I heard that a child sitting in that row was sucked out of the fuselage, but fortunately his mother hugged him tightly and he didn't have any problems.
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According to records from the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States, the aircraft involved in the accident was just taken offline and certified more than two months ago. The investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Boeing stated that it has been informed of the accident and is collecting more information to cooperate with the investigation.
Public information shows that the Boeing 737MAX series aircraft are the latest generation of single channel narrow body passenger planes, including the Boeing 737 MAX7, Boeing 737 MAX8, 737 MAX9, 737 MAX10, and Boeing 737 MAX200. The first aircraft made its debut on December 8, 2015 and completed its maiden flight on January 29, 2016.
In October 2018 and March 2019, there were air crashes on flights of Lion Air Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines, resulting in a total of 346 fatalities. The crashed planes were both Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was subsequently grounded in multiple countries and regions around the world for nearly two years.
However, the Boeing 737MAX aircraft involved in the previous air crash was the 737MAX8, while Alaska Airlines had the 737MAX9 aircraft involved in this accident, which is not the same aircraft.
