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Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 experienced a depressurization incident shortly after departure after an exit door plug was blown off, leading to a temporary grounding and emergency AD for Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The passengers heard a loud noise and the oxygen masks deployed, forcing the pilot to return to the airport, landing safely with all 171 passengers and six crewmembers. The FAA temporarily grounded certain 737 MAX models and issued an emergency AD, which EASA has adopted as well, impacting 171 aircraft globally. The NTSB said this incident could have been far more tragic and the aircraft had prior warnings.
Friday night at about 16,000 feet the door of a Boeing plane blew out, leading to a depressurization event. Homendy said there were 171 passengers, four flight attendants and two pilots, with the captain flying at the time of the event. In a press conference, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said that the event, based on the substantial damage, is considered an accident, not an incident. Homendy said the mid-cabin door plug, aft of the wing, departed the airplane and resulted in rapid decompression. Alaska Airlines said some passengers experienced minor injuries but have since been medically cleared.
"We are very, very fortunate here that this didn't end up in something more tragic," Homendy said. "No one was seated in 26A and B, where that door plug is. The aircraft was around 16,000 feet and only 10 minutes out from the airport when the door blew. Fortunately, they were not at cruise altitude of 30,000 or 35,000 feet."
"Think about what happens when you're in cruise," she said. "Everybody's up and walking, folks don't have seatbelts on, they're going to restrooms, the flight attendants are providing service to passengers. We could have ended up with something so much more tragic and we're really fortunate that that did not occur here."
Homedy said this particular aircraft is certified for up to 189 passengers and given the threshold, Alaska was not required to have emergency exit doors in that location. On the plane, there are 178 seats and the door would not have been required until a threshold of 215-220 passengers, meaning this door was not operational. The cabin door is instead replaced by a plug-in panel. EASA said these configurations are typically used by lower-density operations. Homendy said the people on board were able to safely de-plane after the event, with no reports of serious injuries. She said there were some passengers with minor injuries and also mentioned the terrifying event could have inflicted psychological damage on some of the passengers.
"I imagine this was a pretty terrifying event," Homendy said. "We don't often talk about psychological injury, but I'm sure that occurred here. On behalf of the National Transportation Safety Board, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to those that experience, what I imagine was truly terrifying."
Homendy thanked numerous parties, including Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker, as well as the heroic first responders in Portland. She asked the public's help to find the aircraft door, which Reuters said was recovered on Sunday in the backyard of a Portland school teacher identified as Bob. Homendy is also asking for any pictures or video taken from inside the aircraft. When asked about concerns over the safety of the 737 MAX fleet, Homendy said the concern now is with this particular aircraft and it was too early in the investigation to make any "broad statements about the fleet."
On Saturday afternoon the NTSB arrived on scene. Homendy said the FAA, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, the ALPA and the Association of Flight Attendants are assisting with the investigation. As a response, Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its 737 MAX 9 fleet for full maintenance and inspections. On Saturday the FAA temporarily grounded all 737 MAX 9 aircraft globally and issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive, along with the EASA. Saturday morning Alaska Airlines reported that more than a quarter of its 737-9 fleet had undergone inspections with no concerning findings. Of the 65 in its fleet, Alaska Airlines said it was determined that 18 had undergone in-depth plug door inspections and were cleared to return to service. That same day, the airline shared that the FAA had issued a temporary grounding of the global 7437-9 MAX fleet and those 18 aircraft were again pulled from service. Alaska Airlines canceled 160 total flights, impacting roughly 23,000 passengers. On Sunday, the airline shared that 170 flights were canceled for the day and 60 were canceled for Monday. The cancellations are expected to continue through the week and travelers are asked to check their travel plans.
Certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory are temporarily grounded until they can be inspected. The AD requires the planes to be inspected before another flight and until any applicable corrective actions have been performed. The FAA said this AD will affect about 171 planes around the world and the inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft. The EASA also adopted the AD but shared that to the agency's knowledge, also based on statements from Boeing and the FAA, no airline in an EASA Member State currently operates an affected airplane. The specific 737-9 configuration, where the mid-cabin exit is replaced by a plug-in panel, is not currently operating in Europe. The FAA said its first priority is keeping the flying public safe and the affected aircraft will remain grounded until "the FAA is satisfied they are made safe."
"The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight," Whitaker said. "Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB's investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282."
The incident had the potential to be catastrophic. NBC News reported that headrests became detached from the seats, clothing was left around the area, oxygen masks fell and the cabin erupted in chaos. A passenger told The New York Times that a boy sitting with his mother near the missing panel had his shirt ripped off and his skin was reportedly red and irritated from the wind. According to multiple sources, an iPhone was sucked out of the aircraft, falling to the ground and surviving the impact. The aircraft was at 16,000 feet and an FAA official told NBC that roughly 12,000 feet was where passengers would feel safe without supplemental oxygen. United Airlines told NBC that it suspended service on 79 of its 737-9 aircraft. Boeing and the manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems released statements on the accident.
"Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers," Boeing said. "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 the Jan. 5 accident. We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers."
Spirit said it was grateful that the crew performed the appropriate procedures to land the plane with all passengers and crew safe. The manufacturer said it was working with Boeing on the matter and is following protocols set forth by regulatory authorities guiding communications in these circumstances. This is the latest in a long-running string of concerns pertaining to the 737 and 737 MAX and certain variants. This is also the latest depressurization event concerning the 737, but possibly the first involving the 737-9.RELATED STORIES:FAA proposes AD for Boeing 737 NG after deadly depressurization incidentFAA adopts strict new policy on aircraft design changes in wake of deadly Boeing 737 MAX crashes
On Dec. 12 the FAA proposed an AD for certain 737 NG models after a deadly depressurization event in which a passenger was partially sucked out of a blown-out window. The FAA said a 2016 and 2018 incident, resulting in one death and several injuries, it was discovered that fan blade-out events resulted in the separation of the engine inlet cowl and fan cowl, damaging the fuselage. Both incidents involved a 737-700 series powered by a CFM56-7B engine and one resulted in the first U.S. passenger airline accident fatality since 2009.
On Dec. 28 the FAA said it was closely monitoring targeted inspection of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes to look for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system. The statement said that under consultation with the FAA, Boeing issued a Multi-Operator Message to ask operators of newer single-aisle airplanes to inspect specific tie rods controlling rudder movement for possible loose hardware. The FAA said it would consider additional action if there was additional discovery of loose or missing hardware.
The agency issued a policy on Nov. 20, alongside additional guidance from manufacturers on how to identify safety-critical information in applications, part of the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act, which was passed in the wake of two deadly 737 MAX crashes, claiming the lives of over 300 people. These changes were part of a broader movement in recent years to enhance the FAA certification process and safety oversight.
According to The New York Times, the 737-9 in the Alaska Airlines incident was not being used on long flights over the water after the pressurization warning light went off during three recent flights. Homendy said it was too soon to determine whether this played a role in the recent event. Reportedly, Alaska Airlines maintenance workers were instructed to determine why the warning light had gone off numerous times, but the work had not been completed before Flight 1282. The NYT also stated that the CVR data had been overwritten since it passed the two-hour limit before it was retrieved. This is why the NTSB has been pushing to extend CVR recording time from two to 25, hours. The FAA has also proposed adopting this ruling to enhance and aid in accident investigations.
There is no known connection between any of the other incidents involving the 737 and 737 MAX variants. The NTSB is investigating the event and will release a preliminary report in a couple of weeks. A final report can be expected in one to two years.UpdateOn Monday afternoon The Air Current revealed that United Airlines found loose bolts and other parts on 737 MAX 9 plug doors as it inspects its temporarily grounded fleet. The bolts and parts have been found on plug doors on at least five aircraft a source told The Air Current. A source from United confirmed the findings with The Air Current and the outlet confirmed that the parts have been identified in different locations, widening the scope of the issue. The FAA issued another update on Monday, announcing it had approved a method to comply with the emergency AD and that has been provided to the affected operators. The agency said its priority is keeping Americans safe and with that, Boeing 737-9 aircraft will remain grounded until operators complete enhanced inspections. The inspections include the left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components and fasteners. Operators must also complete corrective action requirements based on findings from the inspections before entering the aircraft back into service. The FAA said it will continue to support the NTSB investigation into Flight 1282. On Monday evening Alaska Airlines revealed technicians found loose hardware visible on some aircraft during inspections of the 737-9 fleet. The airline will proceed with the formal inspection process and all aircraft will be carefully inspected following the instructions set forth by the FAA. Findings will be addressed in a matter that satisfies safety standards and FAA compliance. The results of these inspections will be reported to the FAA. Alaska Airlines said none of its 737-9 aircraft will return to service until these steps are completed.