The Boeing 737 MAX is back in the eye of the storm. The US Federal Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) ordered an immediate inspection of the US aircraft manufacturer's 737 MAX 9s this Saturday, January 6, until then suspended from flight, after an incident that occurred on Friday on a runway near Portland, Oregon.
FAA directive “Airlines required to inspect aircraft before a new flight”, the company said in a statement, estimating that the operation would require between 4 and 8 hours for each flight. This is about 171 of the 218 copies of the 737 MAX 9 delivered by Boeing to date.
Prior to the FAA's announcement, US airline Alaska had already grounded 65 aircraft of this model.
Low pressure and emergency landing
The decision follows the spectacular flight of a window that caused one of Alaska Airlines' 737 MAX planes with 177 people on board to make an emergency landing in the United States on Friday evening, January 5.
Images posted on social media showed the window where the oxygen masks were hanging from the roof of the plane, which had just taken off and landed in Portland, Oregon, blown off by the wind.
Kyle Ringer, a passenger on the plane, told CNN that the window had exploded shortly after takeoff. “It was really brutal. A bit higher up, the front of the window was cut off and I only noticed it when the oxygen masks came down.he said.
Vi Nguyen, another passenger, told the American newspaper The New York Times That she was woken up by a loud noise during the flight. “I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was an oxygen mask in front of me.”She explained, “I looked to the left and the side panel was gone.” “The first thing that came to mind was 'I'm going to die'. she added.
“Comprehensive Maintenance and Safety Inspections”
“Following the incident that occurred this evening on Flight 1282, we have decided to temporarily ground our 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft as a precautionary measure.”Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicusi announced in a Report. “Each device is returned to service only after extensive maintenance and safety inspections”And he estimated it would take a few days.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Alaska Airlines each said they were investigating the incident. “Although such an event is rare, our flight crews are trained and prepared to handle this situation safely.”, adds the airline's press release. An Alaska Airlines representative said:“Work with Boeing and regulators to understand what happened.”.
According to FAA records available online, the plane was certified in October. The manufacturer of the device, US aircraft manufacturer Boeing, wrote that it was gathering more information on the X and that a technical team would make it available to investigators.
Boeing has experienced serious accidents and technical problems with its 737 MAX in recent years. In December, the manufacturer told airlines it needed to inspect loose parts in the rudder control system, after an international operator discovered a bolt missing a nut during a routine inspection.
The aircraft manufacturer found a nut on an aircraft that had not yet been delivered “It's not tight enough”.
Appendices
The 737 MAX has been grounded for months around the world after two air disasters involving the plane in October 2018 and March 2019, in which 346 people died. The FAA authorized return to service only after modifications to the air traffic control system. Recently, Boeing has had to slow deliveries due to problems with the fuselage, particularly the rear of the plane.
By the end of December, Boeing had delivered a total of more than 1,370 copies of the 737 MAX and its order book currently stands at more than 4,000.
Update: At 7:53 p.m., with the FAA's decision to impose inspections on 737 MAX 9s.
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