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FAA Grounds Boeing 737 Max 9 Jets After Exit Door Incident

Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
Saturday, Jan 06, 2024 - 08:10 PM

Update (1310ET):

The Federal Aviation Administration announced a temporary grounding for Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets. These jets will need to be inspected before returning to service. This comes after a mid-cabin exit door flew off mid-flight of an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 on Friday evening.

  • FAA ORDERS TEMPORARY GROUNDING OF CERTAIN BOEING 737 MAX 9 JETS
  • FAA: PLANES MUST BE INSPECTED BEFORE THEY CAN RETURN TO FLIGHT
  • FAA REQUIRING INSPECTIONS OF CERTAIN BOEING 737 MAX 9 PLANES

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Update (1250ET):

Sources tell CNBC that United Airlines plans to ground dozens of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets for inspections following an incident involving a mid-cabin exit door on an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 jet on Friday evening. This would mean both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines would have both grounded their MAX 9 jet fleets.

Here's what X users are saying about the Alaska Airlines incident:

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A brand new Boeing 737 MAX 9, operated by Alaska Airlines, was forced to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport shortly after takeoff on Friday evening due to its mid-cabin exit door detaching from the aircraft mid-flight. This incident was recorded and shared on social media platform X. 

The Max jet, registered as N704AL, was operating as AS1282 from PDX to Ontario International Airport with more than 170 passengers on board. Data from the aviation tracking website Flightradar24 shows the jet was about ten minutes into the flight, reaching 16,000 feet, with a ground speed of nearly 400 knots when the incident unfolded. 

"During the flight, a sudden decompression occurred once the door detached, leading to an emergency landing. In video footage captured during the incident, the emergency exit can be seen torn off and oxygen masks deployed. There are no reports of serious injuries," aviation blog Airways Magazine wrote in a note. 

Passengers recorded the shocking moment when the mid-aft door ripped off. 

According to BBC News, Alaska Airlines said 65 of its 737 Max 9 aircraft were suspended after the incident for 'inspections.' 

Boeing said it was briefed on the incident and was "working to gather more information." 

The door incident came weeks after Boeing reported 737 Max jets had yet another quality control issue: "A possible loose bolt in the rudder control system." 

Max jets have faced several major issues related to different parts and systems. The most notable defect was MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System), which led to two separate crashes, killing a combined 346 people.

Several months ago, fuselage supplier Spirit was found to have improperly drilled holes in the aft pressure bulkhead. 

We need to revisit internal communications from Boeing employees that pointed out Max jets were "designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys." 

The latest incident of a door detaching mid-flight certainly does not instill confidence in this troubled aircraft. 

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