07/01/2024 – 18:57
Alaska Airlines suspended this Sunday, 7th, for the second day in a row, flights with Boeing 737 MAX-9 planes. The decision was made because US federal officials said the aircraft would need to undergo more technical maintenance to ensure the safety of the planes. On Friday the 5th, an extra door on a company plane fell mid-flight. Flights in Brazil are also suspended.
Around 18 aircraft of the model had returned to flying on Saturday, after initial inspections. The plane, which was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport (USA).
The airline said in a statement that the decision was made after receiving notice from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US aviation regulatory agency, that additional work might be needed. Other models in the 737 family were not affected.
“These aircraft have also been removed from service until details regarding possible additional maintenance work are confirmed by the FAA. We are in contact with the FAA to determine what additional work, if any, will be necessary before these aircraft return to service,” the airline said.
The FAA ordered the grounding of some 737 MAX-9s on Saturday until the aircraft could be inspected — a process that takes about four hours. Reportedly, around the world, approximately 171 MAX-9 models are in operation.
The Boeing 737 MAX-9 model represents around 20% of the Alaska Airlines fleet. As of midday, Alaska had canceled about a fifth of its flights for Sunday, according to FlightAware.com. United Airlines, which also grounded its MAX-9s, had a cancellation rate of about 10%.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating Friday's crash and is still searching for the plated door that exploded. The wreckage is estimated to be near Oregon Route 217 and Barnes Road in the Cedar Hills area west of Portland, NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference Saturday.
“It was very lucky that the plane had not yet reached cruising altitude, when passengers and flight attendants could be walking around the cabin. Furthermore, no one was sitting in seats 26A and B, where the door plug is. The aircraft was at approximately 16,000 feet and just 10 minutes from the airport when the door exploded,” said Homendy.
Flight 1282 took off from Portland at 5:07 pm on Friday heading to Ontario, California. About six minutes later, the piece of fuselage exploded when the plane was about 16,000 feet (4.8 kilometers). One of the pilots declared an emergency and asked for authorization to descend to 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), an altitude where there would be enough oxygen to breathe safely. (THIS CONTENT WAS TRANSLATED WITH THE AID OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS AND REVIEWED BY OUR EDITORIAL TEAM)
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