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The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after a cabin panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight.
The FAA is mandating immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can resume flights, prioritizing safety as they assist the NTSB's investigation into the incident.
Boeing has expressed their full support for the FAA's decision and emphasized that safety is their top priority, expressing regret for the impact on customers and passengers.
The aviation safety regulator of the European Union has adopted the FAA's directive regarding the MAX 9, but stated that no EU member state airlines currently have aircraft operating in the affected configuration. A British air safety regulator has announced that it will require any operator of the 737 MAX 9 to comply with the FAA directive in order to enter its airspace.
Alaska Airlines took the initiative to ground all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 planes on Saturday morning, following an incident where a window and a section of the fuselage blew out shortly after takeoff.
One of Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft had to make an emergency landing shortly after departing from Portland, Oregon,on Friday.
A passenger shared a photo with KATU-TV, showing a significant hole in the side of the airplane next to passenger seats. The airline confirmed that the plane, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, landed safely.
Evan Smith, a passenger on board, recounted that a boy sitting with his mother had his shirt pulled off him and out of the plane. "His mother was holding on to him,"
"We heard a loud bang from the left rear, followed by a whooshing sound and the instant deployment of oxygen masks for everyone." he said.
