The troubled history of the Boeing 737 MAX plane that US authorities immobilized

The Boeing 737 Max has been described as “the most scrutinized transport aircraft in history” after a series of safety issues.

The latest incident occurred on Friday when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 lost part of its fuselage in mid-flight and had to make an emergency landing in Oregon, United States.

The aircraft, carrying 177 passengers and crew, landed safely in Portland.

Following the incident, the United States aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ordered “immediate inspections” of some Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.

The FAA said 171 planes, operated by U.S. airlines, will be temporarily grounded for inspections around the world.

The grounding of aircraft, which affects the fleets of several airlines, means that tens of thousands of passengers face cancellations of their flights.

Problem history

The Alaska Airlines flight incident, which left a hole in the plane “as wide as a refrigerator” according to one passenger, It is the latest in a series of problems and fatal accidents that have plagued the Boeing 737 Max.

And it raises questions about the safety of this model, which was previously grounded for a year and a half in 2019 and has undergone more investigations than any other aircraft currently in service.

In 2018 and 2019, there were two accidents involving Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft where 346 people died.

The accidents led to the grounding of hundreds of aircraft around the world for more than a year and a half while inspections were carried out to identify the problem that led to the catastrophes.

The first accident occurred in October 2018 when a plane carrying 189 people from Jakarta, Indonesia, It collapsed into the Java Sea minutes after taking off.

Four months later, another 737 Max, operated by Ehtiopian Airlines, crashed immediately after taking off on a flight to Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board, including all eight crew members.

The accidents, which shook the aviation world, led more than 40 countries to ground the Boeing 373 Max in their fleets until the cause of the catastrophes was determined.

More than two years later, air regulators recertified the Boeing plane when it was found that the problem had been a software glitch that overrode the pilot's controls.

Later, a devastating US Congressional report found that “competitive pressure, design flaws and a culture of cover-up” by the plane maker and a “fundamentally flawed” FAA regulatory system , had played a role in the troubled history of Boeing's plane.

More recently, Boeing reported that it managed to resolve a supply error that forced it to conduct lengthy inspections of its new 737 Max.

Last month, the FAA urged airlines to inspect their Max models to investigate a possible loose screw in the rudder control systems.

The global impact

Boeing's Max 9 is part of the 737 Max series and can carry up to 220 passengers, depending on its seating configuration.

In total, there are 215 Max 9 aircraft in service worldwide, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

In the United States, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines own almost a third of these.

United Airlines has 79 Max 9s in service, the most of any airline

In Latin America, companies that fly Max 9 aircraft include Panama's Copa Airlines and Aeroméxico.

Copa Airlines reported that it had suspended 21 737 Max 9 aircraft “for technical reviews following the airworthiness guidelines of the FAA in the United States.”

And Aeroméxico also reported that “it will keep its 737 Max 9 airplanes on the ground until they are inspected.”

“The inspection of our Max 9 fleet will be completed as soon as possible to continue with scheduled operations and we will continue to work closely with Boeing and the relevant authorities,” the Mexican airline said.

According to Cirium data, Aeroméxico has 19 Max 9 aircraft in service.

Other companies that fly the Boeing 737 Max 9 are SCAT Airlines from Kazakhstan, Iceland Iar, Turkish Airlines and FlyDubai.

A FlyDubai spokesperson said three 737 Max 9s in its fleet have completed safety checks in the past 24 months and it was awaiting guidance from Boeing.

In the United Kingdom, the Civil Aviation Authority reported that there are no Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft registered in the country, and that it is asking foreign companies to complete their inspections before operating in British airspace.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it is following the FAA's approach, but that flight disruptions on the continent are expected to be minimal.

EASA indicated that “to the Agency's knowledge and also based on statements from the FAA and Boeing, no airline in an EASA Member State currently operates an airplane in the relevant configuration” covered by the FAA order. .

Do you already know our YouTube channel? Subscribe!