FAA grounds 171 aircraft after in-flight blowout
Investigators to probe incident that led to emergency landing
Federal officials on Saturday ordered the immediate grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners until they are inspected after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.
The required inspections take four to eight hours per aircraft and affect about 171 airplanes worldwide.
Alaska Airlines said in a statement crews had inspected the paneled-over exits as part of recent maintenance work on 18 of the 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in its fleet, and those were cleared to return to service Saturday. Inspections for the remaining aircraft were expected to be completed in the coming days, the company said.
A portion of the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a 737 Max 9, blew out shortly after takeoff while the aircraft was 3 miles above Oregon late Friday, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 171 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.
No one was seriously hurt as the depressurized plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after departure.
Passenger Evan Smith said a boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the panel blew out, and the child’s shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane.
“You heard a big loud bang to the left rear. A whooshing sound and all the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everyone got those on,” Smith told KATU-TV.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will investigate.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said the inspection of the company’s 737-9 aircraft could take days to complete. They make up a fifth of the company’s 314 planes.
“We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred ... and will share updates as more information is available,” Minicucci said. “My heart goes out to those who were on this flight — I am so sorry for what you experienced.”
Alaska canceled more than 100 flights, or 15% of its Saturday schedule, by midday, according to FlightAware. United said its aircraft inspections would result in about 60 cancellations. The Port of Portland, which operates the airport, told KPTV the fire department treated minor injuries at the scene. One person was taken for more treatment but wasn’t seriously hurt.
Flight 1282 took off from Portland at
5:07 p.m. Friday for a two-hour flight to Ontario, Calif. About six minutes later, a chunk of the fuselage blew out. One of the pilots declared an emergency and asked for clearance to descend to 10,000 feet, the altitude at which the air would have enough oxygen for passengers and crew to breathe.
“We need to turn back to Portland,” the pilot told controllers in a calm voice she maintained throughout the emergency landing.
Videos posted online by passengers showed a gaping hole where the paneled-over exit had been and passengers wearing masks. They applauded when the plane landed about 13 minutes after the blowout.
Firefighters then walked the aisle, asking passengers to remain in their seats as they treated the injured.
The aircraft involved rolled off the assembly line and received its certification two months ago, according to online FAA records. It had been on 145 flights since entering commercial service Nov. 11, said FlightRadar24, a tracking service. The flight from Portland was the aircraft’s third of the day.
Aviation experts were stunned a piece would fly off a new aircraft.
Anthony Brickhouse, a professor of aerospace safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said he has seen panels of fuselage come off planes before but couldn’t recall one where passengers “are looking at the lights of the city.”
He said the incident is a reminder for passengers to stay buckled up.
“If there had been a passenger in that window seat who just happened to have their seat belt off, we’d be looking at a totally different news story,” he said.