FAA halts Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes after Alaska Airlines mid-cabin door plug blows out
By SDCN Editor
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, en route to Ontario, California experienced a pressurization issue after a mid-cabin door plug blew out. The incident prompted the plane’s return to Portland, Oregon shortly after takeoff on Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday.
Federal safety officials confirmed that no serious injuries were reported during the incident.
Due to safety concerns, the FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight.
The FAA released a statement on X (formerly Twitter):
“The FAA will order the temporary grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in the U.S. territory.
The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) that will be issued shortly will require operators to inspect aircraft before further flights that do not meet the inspection cycles specified in the EAD. The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft.
The EAD will affect approximately 171 airplanes worldwide.”
According to the FAA, the emergency directive was prompted by a report of an in-flight departure of a mid-cabin door plug, which resulted in a rapid decompression of the airplane.
The agency has determined the unsafe condition of the mid-cabin door is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type of design.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident.
