A Boeing 737 Max aircraft experienced a vulnerability during flight and is currently grounded

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this morning ordered a “temporary grounding” of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after a section of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday separated from the side, leaving behind A big hole. The agency said in the announcement that it will soon issue an emergency airworthiness directive requiring inspections of all grounded aircraft, which “will take approximately four to eight hours per aircraft.”

New York Times It was reported yesterday that Flight 1282 from Portland International Airport made an emergency landing at the same airport just 20 minutes later due to a “pressurization issue” that blew out the plane’s walls.according to era, no one was in the seats next to the wall when it disappeared, and only minor injuries were reported. The sudden decompression reportedly ripped the shirt off a teenage passenger sitting nearby.

Ahead of the FAA’s decision, Alaska Airlines grounded its own fleet of 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspection. This morning the company said it had inspected more than a quarter of its fleet and “did not find any worrying findings”.

Boeing’s 737 Max planes have been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines in the past for other problems, such as issues with the plane’s autopilot that led to two high-profile crashes and unrelated electrical problems that were later discovered. In a 2020 Senate report, the FAA was accused of helping Boeing manipulate recertification tests to get the planes back into service. Most recently, on December 28, the FAA announced that it was conducting surveillance inspections of 737 Max aircraft after loose bolts were found in the rudder control systems of two 737 Max aircraft.

yesterday, this seattle times Reports say Boeing has applied to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a safety exemption for the 737 Max 7, a smaller plane that the agency has not yet certified. The plane apparently had a flaw that could have caused the engine compartment to rupture. The article stated that existing 737 Max aircraft with the same defect can continue to operate as long as pilots turn off the aircraft’s anti-icing system after “icing conditions dissipate to avoid overheating,” which could damage the cabin. Boeing reportedly called the cabin rupture “extremely unlikely” in its petition.

Updated January 6, 2024 at 3:10 pm ET: Added details from a seattle times article Regarding Boeing’s recent safety exemption petition.