Aviation Circle NewsAfter the door of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 of Alaska Airlines fell off, U.S. authorities grounded the plane for safety checks, and it was found that several of the planes had loose parts. Boeing acknowledged that the company had made mistakes and promised that such accidents "will never happen again."
According to a comprehensive report from the United States**, on January 5, 2024, a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger plane of Alaska Airlines, which has only been in operation for more than one month, shortly after taking off from Portland, Oregon, a sealed hatch on the left side of the cabin suddenly fell off, leaving a large hole, causing the plane to quickly decompress; The plane, which was carrying 177 people, made an emergency return to Portland International Airport without causing **.
Normally, there is an emergency exit at the rear of the cabin, and on aircraft with fewer seats, this exit is sealed with a door-like fuselage assembly called a "door plug". In the above-mentioned accident, it was this door plug that fell off.
After the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration requested that the aircraft be grounded for inspection.
Alaska Airlines said Jan. 8 that technicians initially found that some airliners had "loose hardware" during a fleet inspection.
United Airlines, the largest user of the Boeing 737 MAX 9, also announced on January 8 that it had initially found some conditions that seemed to be related to door plug installation problems, including loose bolts that had to be tightened again.
United has 79 of these airliners. An insider revealed that during the initial inspection, United Airlines found that nearly 10 aircraft had bolt loosening problems, and it is believed that the number of problematic aircraft will increase.
Epstein, an analyst at Bank of America, said the latest incident in which the hatch fell off after repeated problems with manufacturing and quality at Boeing further undermined market confidence in the Boeing single-aisle jet, the workhorse.
In addition to the United States, a number of regulators and airlines around the world have ordered the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 9, and Boeing's shares fell 8% on Monday, the biggest drop since October 2022.
Boeing CEO Calhoun acknowledged for the first time that the Boeing 737 Max 9 had fallen off the door and promised that such accidents "will never happen again".
Calhoun said in a statement on January 9 that Boeing would handle every step of the way with full transparency and work with the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident, to find the cause of the accident, adding that Boeing "has a long history of working with the organization."
Calhoun also said that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is monitoring and inspecting "to ensure the safety of the next aircraft in the air and that this accident does not happen again."
Stan Deal, Boeing's advanced aircraft manufacturer, said at the plenary session that Boeing acknowledged "the seriousness of the accident" and would review the quality controls and processes of its aircraft.
On January 9, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a statement saying that Boeing was revising its previously provided inspection instructions based on the feedback received. "Upon receipt of Boeing's revised instructions, the Federal Aviation Administration will conduct a thorough review. ”