In the United States, both Alaska and United Airlines are currently operating MAX 9 planes. However, due to safety concerns, Alaska has made the decision to ground all 65 aircraft in its fleet. On the other hand, United Airlines still has 79 MAX 9 planes in its inventory.
The investigation into the recent incident where an Alaska plane’s door flew off at 16,000 feet is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The door was found in a backyard in Portland, Oregon. While the NTSB’s final report on the accident may take some time, initial attention is focusing on the “plug door” issue. A plug door refers to an exit door that is not in operation and is panelled over.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy has called for airplanes to be equipped with cockpit voice recorders that can retain more than just a few hours of data. Currently, these recorders work on a two-hour loop, and in the Alaska flight, the recorder was completely overwritten. In November, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a rule that would require new aircraft to have cockpit voice recorders capable of capturing 25 hours of information. However, Homendy believes this is insufficient and has urged the FAA to change the rulemaking.
In response to the safety concerns, the FAA has approved Boeing’s method to comply with its MAX 9 inspection directive. This method has been provided to the affected operators of the aircraft. MAX 9 planes will remain grounded until the inspections are completed, which will include thorough checks of the left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components, and fasteners. Additionally, operators must address any corrective actions required based on the inspection findings before returning the aircraft to service.
Meanwhile, United Airlines has already canceled 200 flights as of Monday that were originally scheduled on the MAX 9 planes. They expect further significant cancellations on Tuesday as well.
Alaska and United Airlines have grounded all their Boeing MAX 9 planes following an incident where an Alaska plane’s door flew off in flight. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, with initial attention focused on the “plug door” design. The NTSB Chair has called for cockpit voice recorders capable of retaining more than a few hours of data. The FAA has approved Boeing’s inspection directive for the MAX 9 planes, which will remain grounded until inspections are completed. United Airlines has already canceled several flights due to the grounding.
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