A passenger plane lost part of its hull in the air, forcing it to land in Oregon on Friday.
An Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 made a hard landing in Portland 35 minutes after taking off from Portland, Oregon, en route to California. The aircraft’s outermost section, a window, was damaged in the crash.
According to Alaska, the flight contained a total of 177 passengers and crew members and made a safe landing.
According to reports, the airline has grounded all of its 65 737 Max 9 planes for “a short period of time” to carry out inspections.
According to a statement from Boeing, the company is aware of the situation and is working to collect more information.
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a statement to the BBC that it is continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Alaska Airlines’ Chief Executive Ben Minicucci announced the grounding of all 65 aircraft, adding that each aircraft will only be reactivated once full maintenance and safety checks have been completed.
Mr. Minicucci commended the six members of the flight crew, who were on board at the time of the emergency descent. Flight tracking data shows that the plane was at an altitude of 16,876 metres when it made its emergency descent.
The night sky can be seen through the hole in the plane’s fuselage, insulation material and debris can also be seen in images sent to news outlets.
In other photos, it can be seen that the seat nearest to the section that was damaged is a window seat, which passengers said was empty, and that it is leaning forward without a cushion.
Mr. Minicucci said, “I extend my condolences to all those who were aboard this flight. I am truly sorry for your distress.”
Our pilots and flight attendants have given us so much support, and we are so thankful for them.
According to social media images of the plane’s exterior, the debris site was in the rear third of the aircraft, behind the wings and engines.
This section of the aircraft’s hull appears to be a designated emergency exit door location for some operators of this type of aircraft, but not for Alaska.
According to a press release from the US Federal Aviation Administration, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 made a safe return flight after a crew reported a pressure problem.
Boeing released a statement saying that they are aware of the situation and are working to collect more data. The company said that a technical team is available to assist with the investigation.
The NTSB said it is looking into the incident.
Described as ‘the most audited transport aircraft in history’, the Boeing 737 Max has faced numerous safety issues and investigations.
The Max was placed under a year and a half flight ban in March 2019 after two other aircraft of the same type crashed in similar conditions, killing all occupants.
In order to make it possible to fly again, every single Max aircraft was subject to significant changes, although these modifications would be invisible from the outside and would not be noticeable to the passengers.
More recently, the company announced that it would boost 737 Max delivery rates after addressing a supply issue that forced it to conduct long-distance inspections of new aircraft and inventory, according to Reuters news agency.
Boeing has delivered approximately 1,300 737 MAXs to customers, according to company data. Last month, the FAA warned airlines to check Max models for a loose bolt in their rudder control systems.
