He Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was making a routine trip from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, USAwhen a few minutes after takeoff an unused cabin door detached from the plane.
The part that fell from the sky was a 27 kg pieceknown as a door plug, which was used to fill a Emergency exit that was built into the plane, but was not used by Alaska Airlines.
The cabin suddenly depressurized, causing a gust of air that tore off the crew's headphones and sent phones and other personal items flying.
The event generated alarm and perplexity, leading the US aeronautical authorities to take preventive measures – such as the immobilization of hundreds of similar aircraft – while the causes of what happened are clarified.
BBC Mundo addresses 5 relevant unknowns on this topic.
1. Why a failure occurred in a new aircraft
The damaged plane had been delivered to Alaska Airlines on October 31, 2023 and would have only made about 100 flights per month.
It is unlikely that normal wear and tear or maintenance failures were among the factors affecting such a new aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSF), which is investigating the accident, said it does not suspect a design flaw.
In fact, this type of door has been used on Boeing 737s since 2006 and has not suffered any serious problems.
This means that the focus will be on whether the door was in good conditions and if it was screwed correctly.
The door was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems – a Boeing supplier – which has already been criticized for serious quality control failures.
Boeing itself had been accused in the past of having its factories in chaotic conditions and to cut costs in the production chain.
Boeing insists that safety is its top priority. Finding the door that fell off will provide the necessary clues to investigators to know what failed and why.
2. Why the plane had an unused door
The Boeing 737 Max 9 model has been ordered by many different airlines. The way of using these planes is not always the same, there are models with different numbers of seats.
The number of emergency exits depends on the number of seats.
With a less crowded cabin, the plane can operate with four main doors and four smaller exits at wing level.
But if configured with the maximum number of seats, two more outlets are needed halfway between the wings and tail of the plane.
In fact, Boeing builds all of its Max 9s with these additional doors If they are not necessary, a non-operational door or a “plug” is installed that is hidden behind the interior lining.
3. Why he flew despite warnings
A light known as a warning light came on in the plane's flight deck. “automatic pressurization failure.”
This comes on when the cabin pressure, which is normally self-regulating, changes unusually quickly.
The crew can respond by manually adjusting cabin pressure or, if concerned, by initiating descent to a lower altitude.
However, these warnings can also appear due to minor errors.
In the case of the Alaska Airlines plane, the light had come on on several flights in a short period.
The problem had been reported to maintenance staff, whose response would have been dictated by the plane's maintenance manual, a document written by Boeing but signed by regulators.
At the time, restrictions were placed on where to fly and, according to the NTSB, additional investigations had been ordered but had not yet been carried out when the ruling occurred.
4. Why some planes resumed flight
Immediately after the accident – this is the term used by the NTSB – last Friday Alaska Airlines suspended takeoff of its fleet of 65 737 Max 9 aircraft.
On Saturday, the company authorized 18 of their planes to return to service. Those planes had recently undergone checks, including inspections of the door plugs, and no problems had been found.
But when the Federal Aviation Administrationn issued an airworthiness order that affected aircraft were prohibited from flyingUntil they underwent specific controls, the company had no choice but to also ground those 18 planes that it considered safe.
5. What are the next steps
The NTSB is conducting an investigation into the crash.
To do this, the plane, the door that was detached from the aircraft, the recorded flight data and the maintenance records will be reviewed.
Additionally, they will interview flight crew, maintenance personnel and Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems employees.
The goal of the investigation is to find out what went wrong and why. It is not intended to blame anyone.
However, Boeing is in a difficult position.
The 737 Max is its best-selling aircraft, a favorite of airlines for its low operating costs and low fuel consumption.
But its safety record has already been tarnished as a result of two accidents in late 2018 and early 2019, in which 346 people died.
Boeing insists that it is a different company today.
In a message to staff, CEO Dave Calhoun He said that “when serious accidents like this occur, it is essential that we work transparently with our customers and regulators to understand and address the causes of the event and to ensure they do not happen again.”
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/c87242rzzrlo, IMPORTING DATE: 2024-01-09 01:07:05
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