A window broke on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX passenger plane flying from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, causing a loss of cabin pressure and forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing back at Portland International Airport on Friday evening.
174 people and six crew members were on board the plane, reports Reuters.
Posts on social media showed a window and part of the plane’s sidewall missing.
Passengers on board the plane said they heard a loud bang and saw a hole in the side of the plane where a window had been blown out at an altitude of 16,000 feet. A child sitting near the window was reportedly pulled by the suction and his shirt was torn. Some passengers also lost their phones, which were sucked out of the plane, KPTV reported.
BREAKING: An @AlaskaAir @Boeing 737-8MAX Lost A Large Section Mid-Air & Made An Emergency Landing In Oregon. Alaska Airlines Crew Did A Magnificent Job & No One Was Seriously Injured.
The 737 MAX Has Been Plagued With Issues Since Its Introduction! pic.twitter.com/9l0eZHA7cS
— John Basham (@JohnBasham) January 6, 2024
The Boeing 737-9 MAX was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in November 2023, just two months before the flight, according to FAA records available online.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the flight incident.
The Boeing 737 Max is one of the most popular aircraft models in the world, but accompanied by a series of safety problems and controversies. In 2018 and 2019, two fatal 737 Max crashes killed a total of 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The crashes were linked to a faulty system called MCAS, which pushed the plane’s nose down without the pilots’ control.
The 737 Max was grounded globally for 20 months, the longest shutdown in aviation history, and US manufacturer Boeing faced investigations and lawsuits.
In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle criminal charges that it withheld important information about MCAS from regulators and the public. The company made changes to MCAS and other systems, and the 737 Max was cleared to fly again in late 2020. The Alaska Flight 1282 incident raises new questions about the safety and reliability of the 737 Max.
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2024-01-06 08:05:00
#Boeing #emergency #landing #windows #broke
