The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded more than 100 Boeing aircraft on Saturday after an Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a flat tire left a large hole in the side of the plane.
Here's what you need to know about this incident and its ongoing impact.
Alaska Airlines flight experiences 'explosive decompression' during flight
An Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California suffered an “explosive decompression” mid-flight Friday evening, causing a panel blocking the Boeing 737 Max 9's unused exit door to take off. It was blown away in just a few minutes.
Video of the incident showed passengers wearing oxygen masks after the explosion, which left a large hole in the side of the plane.
The plane made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport, but no injuries were reported.
After the incident, Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said the airline would conduct a full safety inspection of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft and would contact Boeing and federal regulators to determine what happened. He said he is cooperating with the
“Our deepest sympathies go out to those on board this aircraft. We are truly sorry for what they experienced. We are extremely grateful for the actions of the pilots and flight attendants,” the statement said. .
“We have a passenger assistance team on the ground in Portland and are working to support guests traveling over the next few days,” Minicucci added at the time.
FAA suspends Boeing flights, causing hundreds of cancellations
FAA ordered temporary grounding About 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or within U.S. territories Saturday.
“The FAA is requiring some Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to be immediately inspected before they can fly again,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement.
“Safety will continue to be the driving force in our decision-making. [National Transportation Safety Board’s] “We are investigating Alaska Airlines Flight 1282,” he continued.
Alaska Airlines temporarily returned 18 of its planes to service on Saturday, but received notice from the FAA on Sunday that the planes may require additional work.
The grounding resulted in hundreds of canceled flights at Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only U.S. airlines operating the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.
A warning light was reported on a previous flight
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said Sunday that a warning light indicating a pressurization problem on the plane whose door plug exploded on Friday came on on three flights, two last week and one earlier. announced. December.
Homendy said at a news conference that Alaska Airlines had restricted the plane from flying over water for long periods of time so that if the warning lights came on, Alaska Airlines “could return to the airport very quickly.”
However, the NTSB chairman also warned that the warning light may be unrelated to the door plug that came off during Friday's flight.
Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems stock prices slump
Shares of Boeing and aerospace supplier Spirit AeroSystems fell as the market opened Monday morning. Spirit AeroSystems reportedly manufactured and initially installed the flattened fuselage part on Friday. According to Reuters.
Boeing shares fell nearly 9% after the opening bell, and Spirit AeroSystems fell about 14%. Both men had slightly recovered by noon.
The Associated Press contributed.
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