lUS Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) ordered this saturday “temporary immobilization” certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 operated by US airlines or on US territory following an incident involving an aircraft that lost part of its fuselage mid-flight.
Through a statement, the FAA reported that a Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) which will require operators to inspect aircraft before conducting new flights.
“The required inspections will take between four and eight hours per aircraft,” said the federal agency, which estimated that 171 aircraft worldwide were affected.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating what happened and has sent several teams to the area to determine the cause of the incident in which no injuries were reported.
The FAA’s decision comes hours after one of these planes lost part of its fuselage mid-flight, although it managed to land safely at the Portland airport.
“Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 returned safely to Portland International Airport at approximately 5:00 p.m. local time on Friday, January 5 (01:00 a.m. Saturday GMT), after the crew reported a pressurization problem.
The plane was headed for Ontario International Airport in California.the agency pointed out in a statement after what happened.
According to pictures provided by some passengers and reported by US media, the fuselage panel, including the window, separated shortly after takeoff.
A witness quoted by CNN said the fuselage separated as the plane gained altitude and did not realize until he managed to remove his oxygen mask.
on the plane Boeing 737 Max, There were 171 passengers and six crew members on board, and the flight was only about 35 minutes after takeoff from Portland Airport.
airline, Alaska Airlineshe decided “as a “precautionary measure” to temporarily ground his 65 Boeing MAX-9 aircraft, that it will fly “only after the completion of full maintenance and safety checks”.
“We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what happened tonight and will share an update as more information becomes available,” said Ben Minicucci, Boeing CEO. Alaska Airlines.
Also via social network X, the Boeing company said that they are “aware of the incident involving the Alaska Airlines flight.”
“We are working to gather more information and are in contact with our airline client. Boeing’s technical team is ready to support the investigation,” they said.
“Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers. We agree and fully support the FAA’s decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 aircraft of the same configuration as the affected aircraft. Additionally, Boeing’s technical team is supporting the NTSB’s investigation into last night’s event. We will continue to be in close contact with our regulator and our customers,” he announced.
Source: Panama America
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
