Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after door plug flies off mid-flight
- Reference: 1704725114
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/01/08/boeing_737_max_9_airplanes/
- Source link:
An [1]Emergency Airworthiness Directive now requires operators to conduct a four-to-eight-hour inspection before further flights can go ahead.
Alaska Airlines had already grounded its entire fleet of 65 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft for inspection.
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Flight 1282 bound for Ontario contained 171 travelers and six crew members when it made its miraculous safe landing in its take-off location of Portland International Airport.
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Passengers were [5]reportedly preparing for the worst, including by saying their familial goodbyes, after the oxygen masks deployed as the pressure dropped inside in response to the massive hole in the fuselage.
The aircraft was hurtling through the air at around 440 miles per hour (708 kph), according to flight tracking website [6]FlightAware.
[7]
The passengers had a right to be concerned. "Because of the pressurization of the aircraft and speed, if the pressure vessel fails in a scenario like this, it would fail catastrophically," one aerodynamicist told The Register.
By luck, only the aisle seat of row 26 was occupied, but the speed of decompression caused materials such as headrests, electronics, and even a child's clothes to fly out the hole, according to various reports and [8]accounts.
Although several passengers experienced injuries requiring medical attention, the airline [9]stated all had been medically cleared by late Saturday.
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Alaska Airlines revealed the airplane involved in Flight 1282 had only been with the company a little over two months.
The FAA characterized the January 5 incident as "an in-flight departure of a mid-cabin door plug, which resulted in a rapid decompression of the airplane." The agency said the incident could "result in injury to passengers and crew, the door impacting the airplane, and/or loss of control of the airplane."
"The FAA is issuing this AD because the agency has determined the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design," the regulator added.
FAA administrator Mike Whitaker [11]said the organization was assisting a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation.
The NTSB released a video of the aircraft, minus the door plug, undergoing inspection.
[12]Youtube Video
The missing door plug was eventually [13]found in the backyard of a Portland school teacher named Bob.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy revealed the airplane was already not being used in long hauls over water due to a pressurization warning light that had gone off during three separate flights since December 7.
She called it "a concern" but stated it was not known if the pressurization light issue was related to the door plug failure. The trouble with the warning light system was yet to be fully resolved and instead had been reset.
[14]YouTuber who crashed plane for sponsorship dollars earns 6 months behind bars
[15]Three Chinese balloons float near Taiwanese airbase
[16]China's top EV battery maker announced a breakthrough, but top boffin isn't convinced
[17]NASA 'quiet' supersonic jet is nearly ready for flight
Homendy [18]expressed frustration at the absence of flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) data. That data was erased two hours after the incident, a point at which recording restarts automatically on the devices and previous data is subsequently erased.
"The NTSB has many times talked about the need to increase the time on CVRs from two hours to 25 hours which is consistent with Europe and many other countries," Homendy lamented.
"The FAA thankfully has taken some recent action to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to extend CVR time from two hours to 25 hours but only on newly manufactured aircraft so it would not affect this," she added.
The NTSB chair said that most planes in service have a lifespan of 40 to 50 years and therefore only extending CVR times in new planes does not do enough to facilitate investigations.
What was quickly recoverable, however, were two cellphones, or so it would appear. One was found in a backyard, the other by a road.
The iPhone found by the side of the road passed its unintentional 16,000 foot drop test perfectly intact within its protective hard case, still in airplane mode, according to [19]one person. It did, however, feature a broken-off charger plug inside of it from when it was "yanked" out through the hole in the fuselage.
By Sunday evening, Alaska Airlines had cancelled 160 total flights, affecting roughly 23,000 travelers on Saturday. An additional 170 were cancelled on Sunday and 60 on Monday. Cancellations are expected to last until at least midweek, said Alaska Airlines.
Boeing has released [20]several updates on the matter.
"Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers," the company said on Saturday.
"We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane. In addition, a Boeing technical team is supporting the NTSB's investigation into last night's event. We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers."
Boeing will host "a company-wide webcast focused on safety" on Tuesday. ®
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[1] https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/DRSDOCID122693486620240106201913.0001?modalOpened=true
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZZwqOVv6RYB9IAK2HkaErwAAANc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/07/us/alaska-airlines-boeing-passengers.html
[6] https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/ASA1282/history/20240106/0050Z/KPDX/KPDX/tracklog
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZZwqOVv6RYB9IAK2HkaErwAAANc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://twitter.com/CErcoliCBS2KCAL/status/1743608998019100673
[9] https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/operations/as-1282/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZZwqOVv6RYB9IAK2HkaErwAAANc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statement-temporary-grounding-certain-boeing-737-max-9-aircraft
[12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoiGuuGZPNc
[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Pfj8G7Rdg
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/05/youtuber_jailed_plane_crash/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/three_chinese_balloons_float_near/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/24/catl_battery_claim_questioned/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/07/nasa_quiet_supersonic_jet/
[18] https://www.youtube.com/live/0jeO5fwRXLo?feature=shared&t=1155
[19] https://twitter.com/SeanSafyre/status/1744138937239822685
[20] https://www.boeing.com/737-9-updates/index.page
[21] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Yet another reason to always wear the belt if you are sat down in a plane.
Absolutely!
Entering windshear at transsonic speed should also not be underestimated.
Have seen what a negative 10g spike can do and would not want to be without a seatbelt should it occur. The toilet trip is a calculated risk :)
As is the fact that no hapless passenger happened to sit in the adjacent seat without wearing a seatbelt.
In other rapid decompression events, wearing a seatbelt hasn't been enough to stop people being sucked out if they're unlucky enough to be next to the window that's gone.
Every little bit helps. In this instance it helped that the aircraft had not reached cruicing altitude.
But yes, a person resting their head against the window / window frame (it is hard to find a comfortable resting position) will certainly have trouble keeping said head inside the cabin when the window pops.
Keep in mind that 0.5 bar of underpressure excerts 50 000 N force per square meter.
Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after door plug flies off mid-flight
Good, and Boeing deserves everything that's coming its way. There's been high demand for 737 Max aircraft and Boeing's been pumping them out without regard for other factors so it should come as no surprise that there's been shoddy workmanship and precious little checking.
In the good old days of the 707 and 747, Boeing was engineering-led and had a good safety culture. That all changed with the McDonnell Douglas merger resulting in the McDonnell Douglas bean counter managers effectively taking over Boeing and putting $$$ above everything else.
It is quite clear that things have not sufficiently changed since the two 737 Max crashes and I'd like to see a complete clear out of the Boeing executives and board members.
Re: Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after door plug flies off mid-flight
I may be wrong, but I have read posts indicating that this plug is not a new design. It may even go back to the 707.
One line of inquest seems to be whether the plug was inproperly installed during production or possible removed and inproperly re-installed as a part of service / maintenance work.
Too early for anything certain. For more info, see:
https://www.pprune.org/accidents-close-calls/656760-alaska-airlines-737-900-max-loses-door-flight-out-pdx-20.html
Re: Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after door plug flies off mid-flight
whether the plug was inproperly installed during production or possible removed and inproperly re-installed as a part of service / maintenance work.
Shouldn't such plugs be designed like the doors themselves, only removable from inside the plane and held in place against the frame by internal pressure? I'd hate to think that their integrity was dependent just on a few bolts.
Re: Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after door plug flies off mid-flight
"There's been high demand for 737 Max aircraft and Boeing's been pumping them out without regard for other factors so it should come as no surprise that there's been shoddy workmanship and precious little checking."
Boeing doesn't actually even manufacture the 737 fuselage themselves, the sold off the factory and outsource construction to Spirit AeroSystems.
Re: Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after door plug flies off mid-flight
"Boeing doesn't actually even manufacture the 737 fuselage themselves, the sold off the factory and outsource construction to Spirit AeroSystems".
^ That is an excellent example of why Boeing is in the state it is as of right now and that sell off should never have happened.
There is market payback now in the form of Boeing shares losing 9% of their values today with Spirit AeroSystems shares losing 12% of their value as well.
What is/was that saying?
If it's a Boeing, I ain't going.
Re: What is/was that saying?
BOEING; Bits Of Exit In Numerous Gardens??
Re: What is/was that saying?
I think that "Booeeeeing" is the sound the door makes as it pops off.
16000ft iPhone drop test
Now that is real quality!
A candidate for the Guinness Book of World Records?
Would like to know what terminal velocity the iPhone achieved and what kind of surface it landed on. I suspect it was not concrete or tarmac.
Re: 16000ft iPhone drop test
I'd like the name of the protective case manufacturer!
Re: 16000ft iPhone drop test
How about a human sized version of that iPhone case I can wear during future Boeing flights.
Re: 16000ft iPhone drop test
Is that the velocity of an African or European iPhone?
It's not very typical, I'd like to make that point.
For a Boeing? It's getting there.
Numbers
I this all the 737s that are of the same design or just a subset?
If not then why has not every single one been grounded?
If the design rolls back to earlier models why has not every 737 been grounded?
Just musing but this looks like corporate wellbeing is possibly a higher priority than passenger wellbeing........
Re: Numbers
737-800 and 737 Max 8 use the same normal fuselage. 737-900 and 737 Max 9 use the same stretched fuselage, this one has an optional second set of emergency wing exits that are only used if a high density seating, otherwise they are plugged up like in the one in the article.
"Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers,"
That's the first item in the bingo card ticked off
A little before this incident I came across this: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-wants-faa-to-exempt-max-7-from-safety-rules-to-get-it-in-the-air/
^ Thank you for pointing out that other safety issue and Boeing should not still be relying on a kludge fix that icing issue which requires the pilots to remember to manually switch off the engine anti-ice system without any hazard warning reminder.
This matter will also be a test of the Federal Aviation Administration and its willingness to put public safety first. This time, they should stand up to Boeing and deny Boeing's request to allow a kludge fix while Boeing comes up with a proper remedy.
"Safety is our top priority"
Is it though?
They have had reports that the aircraft has had numerous pressurization issues. So to them the best thing to do is reset the alarm and fly it over land - instead of having a thorough investigation of the aircraft?
I know aircraft take to the skies every minute with a few things wrong with them that either can't be fixed or would be better suited to having the airline's own mechanics fix it. Of course, nothing that is of a safety concern would take to the skies normally. If a window is cracked or an engine doesn't work, it stays put until it's fixed.
But given this company's safety record in the past, it feels like it's top priority is money and not the safety of it's passengers. It'd be a completely different story today if some poor sod had been sucked out of that jet during the weekend. So while Boeing is getting a kicking (rightly so to be honest) do not let Alaska get away with not being scrutinized.
She called it "a concern"
Yeah, having your passengers sucked out of the plane just like in every airplane catastrophe film is indeed a concern.
That is what Boeing is now, the groundwork for the scenarios of future flight accident films.
Thank God I don't need to take the plane anymore. TGV fills my travel needs nicely, thank you very much.
Re: She called it "a concern"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_TGV_accidents
Alaska Airlines
and their approach to pilot reports and maintenance is looking to be the 'cause' here.
It's being reported that the automated aircraft systems and the pilots themselves reported pressurization problems on recent flights. The a/c itself was restricted from over-water flights while the airline was cycling it in for a heavier maintenance check.
"Because of the pressurization of the aircraft and speed, if the pressure vessel fails in a scenario like this, it would fail catastrophically," one aerodynamicist told The Register.
-The pressure vessel did not fail.
A plug in the pressure vessel came out.
The edges around the plug were reinforced, and thus unlikely to fail. This is nothing like the 737 convertible incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines_Flight_243.
The fact that the plug did not hit and take out the left-hand horizontal stabilizer is more of a reason to rejoice.. As is the fact that no hapless passenger happened to sit in the adjacent seat without wearing a seatbelt.
No reason to make up scenarios when the actual event is sufficiently hair-raising in itself.