PORTLAND, Oregon— Alaska Airlines grounded all of its Boeing 737-9s on Friday night, hours after one of those planes lost a window and a piece of the fuselage in mid-flight and was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. There were no serious injuries.
The incident occurred shortly after takeoff and the hole caused cabin depressurization. Flight data showed that the plane had reached 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) before returning to Portland International Airport.
The airline said the plane landed with 174 passengers and six crew members on board.
“Following what happened tonight on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary measure of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9s,” company CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement.
“My heart goes out to everyone who was on this flight: I am very sorry for what they have experienced.”
The planes will fly again once they have passed comprehensive maintenance and safety inspections, which according to Minicucci they plan to complete in a few days.
“We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what happened tonight, and we will share updated information as we become available,” he added.
The airline did not immediately say whether there were any injuries in the incident. But KPTV reported that, according to the Port of Portland, firefighters responded to the scene and treated minor injuries. One person was taken for further care, but did not have serious injuries.
The plane diverted about six minutes after taking off at 5:07 p.m., according to flight tracking data from the FlightAware website. It landed again at 17:26.
The pilot told air traffic controllers in Portland that the plane had suffered an emergency, was depressurized and had to return to the airport, according to a recording on the LiveATC.net website.
A passenger sent a photo to KATU-TV showing what appears to be a huge hole in the side of the plane next to the passenger seats. A video shared by the network showed people wearing oxygen masks and passengers applauding as they touched down.
Evan Smith, one of the people on board, said that “a loud bang was heard in the left rear, a whistle and the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everyone put them on,” he told KATU.
In the row where the window was blown out was a child with his mother, Smith said. The boy’s shirt was sucked on and he went flying, he added.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that they will investigate the incident.
The Boeing 737-9 MAX involved in the accident left the assembly line and received its safety certification just two months ago, according to FAA online records.
The plane had made 145 flights since entering commercial service on Nov. 11, noted FlightRadar24, another tracking service. The one from Portland was his third trip of the day.
Boeing said it was aware of the incident and was working to gather more information, in addition to showing its willingness to support the investigation.
The Max is the latest version of the vulnerable Boeing 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane typically used on domestic flights in the United States. This model entered service in May 2017.
Two Max 8 crashed in 2018 and 2019, leaving 346 dead, leading to the suspension of flights with that model and the Max 9 for almost two years. They returned to service after Boeing made changes to a control system. of automated flight involved in accidents.
Last year, the FAA asked MAX pilots to limit the use of an anti-icing system in dry conditions out of fear that the valves around the engines could overheat and dislodge, which could hit the plane itself.
Deliveries of the Max have been paused on some occasions to resolve manufacturing errors. In December, the company asked airlines to inspect the devices for a possible loose screw in the rudder control system.
Source: AP
