Grounded Boeings examined, but none deemed ready for flight
After five days of inspections and 40 evaluations, Boeing’s 737 Max 9 remains grounded — without a clear timeline to take off.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it had begun reviewing data from the first round of inspections on the grounded 737 Max 9 planes. Those planes — about 171 of them — have become the subject of regulatory and consumer scrutiny after a door plug, installed to cover an unused emergency exit, flew out on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Ore., on Jan. 5.
The FAA grounded the Max 9 planes that fill the space with a door plug shortly after the incident. Investigators believe bolts meant to keep the plug attached to the plane were either installed incorrectly or missing entirely.
The planes will remain grounded until they are inspected, following instructions from Boeing that the FAA has not yet approved.
On Wednesday, the FAA said 40 preliminary inspections had been completed. But that announcement was not a sweeping signal that the Max 9 was heading back to the skies anytime soon. Rather, it was an incremental step in what is now expected to be a lengthy process.
“All 737-9 Max aircraft with door plugs will remain grounded pending the FAA’s review and final approval of an inspection and maintenance process that satisfies all FAA safety requirements,” the agency wrote in a statement. “Once the FAA approves an inspection and maintenance process, it will be required on every grounded 737-9 Max prior to future operation.”
The guidelines for inspections — the crucial step to getting the planes off the ground — have already been through a roller coaster of approvals and revisions.
In the meantime, flight delays and cancellations are piling up as the airlines scramble to make up for the parked planes. There were 121 flights canceled and 335 flights delayed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as of Wednesday evening, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.
Boeing said it had submitted instructions to Alaska and United Airlines, the two U.S.-based carriers operating the Max 9, just days after the safety incident, then walked those instructions back the same day.
The FAA said it had approved a method to comply with the emergency airworthiness directive, something the regulatory agency issues that requires immediate action to correct an unsafe condition. But the FAA said the next day that Boeing had to revise its initial instructions “because of feedback received in response.”
On Friday, the FAA said it was “encouraged by the exhaustive nature” of Boeing’s revised instructions. But it would not give final approval until it had reviewed data from the first round of inspections.
“We are working to make sure nothing like this happens again,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said Friday. “Our only concern is the safety of American travelers and the Boeing 737-9 Max will not return to the skies until we are entirely satisfied it is safe.”
Six days after its announcement and five days after Alaska began inspections, FAA said the airlines operating the Max 9 had completed the first inspections and it is now reviewing the findings.
The FAA and Boeing will compile the findings and determine the “next steps in order to return the 737-9 Max fleet safely back to service,” Alaska Airlines Chief Executive Officer Ben Minicucci said in a video statement sent to customers. There isn’t yet an estimate for how long that process will take, he said.