Boeing Is Facing Questions About the 737 Max 9, Here's What We Know
After a horrifying incident on an Alaska Airlines flight, the aircraft is at the center of an investigation.
On January 5, one of those Final Destination-style horror movie-come-to-life scenarios occurred on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California. When the plane ascended to 16,000 feet, just outside of Portland, the plane's fuselage blew out, also blowing out a side of the airplane and the door plug. The incident was recorded in horrifying detail by passengers aboard the plane in videos shared to social media.
The plane was depressurized, and the oxygen masks were dropped. In another video from the flight, you can see firemen boarding the plane after it emergency landed back at the Portland airport. Fortunately, no one was harmed in the incident, but the plane was grounded and the Federal Aviation Administration ordered that other Boeing 737 Max 9 airliners to be grounded over the weekend following the incident.
It is believed that no one was hurt because no one was seated in the seats nearest to where the fuselage blew out.
Here's what to know about the flight, the Boeing 737 Max 9, and what this means for air travel going forward.
The Alaska Airlines missing door has been found
The blowout from the plane didn't have any human casualties, but plane parts, cell phones, headrests, and clothes that children were wearing weren't so lucky. On January 8, the plane door plug was found in the backyard yard of a Portland, Oregon-area teacher.
"I'm excited to announce that we found the door plug," National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said on Sunday evening about the discovery, as reported by NBC News. "We're going to go pick that up and make sure that we begin analyzing it."
Another find from the plane? One of the phones that was sucked out of the plane. Not only was the iPhone found, but after falling 16,000 feet it was said to still be in working condition. The NTSB confirmed that it was the second phone that had been found from the wreckage. That's an immensely impressive feat, considering that I've had an iPhone that stopped working after a four-foot fall.
What kind of planes have been grounded?
Since the incident, the FAA has grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9s. Boeing granted permission to the FAA to begin the inspections, which began on January 8. "We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane,” a statement from Boeing shares.
The Alaska Airlines plane's malfunction happened only eight weeks after it was approved for flight. The 171 grounded planes have the same configuration as the Alaska Airlines flight.
"Boeing 737-9 aircraft will remain grounded until operators complete enhanced inspections which include both left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components, and fasteners," the FAA shared on January 8. "Operators must also complete corrective action requirements based on findings from the inspections prior to bringing any aircraft back into service."
At this point, it is unclear how long the inspections will take before they are completed.
These are the airlines that use Boeing 737 Max 9s
The New York Times reports that United Airlines has 79 737 Max 9s in operation, while Alaska Airlines has 65. That accounts for 144 of the planes. Alaska Airlines has 314 planes in its fleet, so the 65 planes out of service represent a significant portion of its fleet. As of December 2023, United has 944 airlines in its fleet. Copa Airlines, Aeromexico, Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai, and Icelandair also have Max 9s in their fleets.
The Boeing 737 Max 9 groundings are expected to impact travel
On January 8, FlightAware reported that the two airlines with the largest numbers of Max 9s in their fleets also were dealing with the highest numbers of delays and cancellations. Alaska Airlines canceled 21% of its Monday flights—a total of 147 flights—and has delays on 12% of its flights. United Airlines had 8% of its flights cancelled, which represents 233 flights, and a delay for 423 flights, which represents 15% of its daily scheduled flights.
These delays and cancellations are likely to continue as the Max 9s stay grounded.
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