“We are very, very fortunate here that this didn’t end up in something more tragic,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in Portland. “No one was seated in 26A and 26B, where that door plug is.”
The plug had come off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport on January 5, 2024, just after 5 p.m. local time. Flight 1282 made an emergency landing back in Portland after a pressurization problem. A fuselage panel, window included, had popped off. Alaska later confirmed that several passengers needed medical attention for injuries.
The FAA directive
On January 6, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive requiring inspections of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets worldwide. “The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” Administrator Mike Whitaker said. He added that the agency would assist the NTSB investigation of Flight 1282.
Airlines outside the United States moved too. United Airlines grounded all its 737-9s, after first saying only some would be checked. Copa Airlines grounded 21. Turkish Airlines, according to the BBC, grounded four. AeroMexico said all its MAX 9s would be inspected. Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority said no British-registered MAX 9s exist but wrote to foreign carriers flying the type, asking for checks before they enter UK airspace. In India, the aviation regulator asked Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet for a one-time inspection of emergency exits on their 737-8 MAX aircraft; no Indian airline flies the 737-9.
Alaska said 18 of its 737-9s had received in-depth inspections and gone back into service. The directive then pulled them out again until details of possible extra maintenance were settled.
Investigators arrive
NTSB investigators reached Portland on January 6 and asked the public to help find the missing plug door, which they believed had landed in the Cedar Hills area near the airport.
A plug door sits between the wing and the rear cabin exit. Airlines can order it as an emergency exit, but when a seating layout does not require extra exits, it is “plugged.” From inside, passengers see only a window. Alaska’s jet, registered N704AL, was delivered by Boeing in October 2023 and entered service on November 11, 2023.
Boeing said it deeply regretted the impact on customers and passengers, supported the FAA’s decision, and had a technical team assisting the NTSB. “We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers,” the company said.
Sources
- More airlines ground 737-9s after Alaska’s plug door blowout
- Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after door plug flies off mid-flight
Sources
- More airlines ground 737-9s after Alaska’s plug door blowout
- Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after door plug…
