![]() We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers." "In addition, a Boeing technical team is supporting the NTSB's investigation into last night's event. "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," the Boeing statement said. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team of investigators to Portland.īoeing said in a statement that it supported the FAA's Emergency Airworthiness Directive. The inspection may be able to be performed at outstations, rather than at maintenance hubs, which would significantly speed up the process, according to a source familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear whether the "plug" was an option on the MAX 10. A larger version, the 737 MAX 10, is in the process of being certified by the FAA. carrier that operates the MAX 9, the longest version of the jet that is currently operating for airlines. There are approximately 215 of the aircraft subtype in service globally, according to aviation data firm Cirium. The emergency Airworthiness Directive will apply to MAX 9 jets that are outside of certain routine inspection windows and will include about 171 aircraft, the agency said. The FAA on Saturday said it would temporarily ground some currently in-service aircraft pending inspections that would take four to eight hours per plane. Several aircraft were operating revenue flights Saturday morning.Īlaska later clarified that it had reviewed maintenance records, and found that 18 of its 65 aircraft of the subtype had undergone the relevant inspection as part of routine heavy maintenance recently enough to be deemed safe. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days," Minicucci said.īy noon ET on Saturday, inspections on more than a quarter of Alaska's 737 MAX 9 fleet had been completed, the airline said, and some of the planes had already returned to service. "Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. Airlines that put fewer seats on the aircraft can choose to place a "plug" in that place instead.īy signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. ![]() ![]() The 737 MAX 9 features a spot for an extra emergency exit, which is required on models of the aircraft with certain higher density seating configurations. Photos circulating on social media and local news appeared to show a hole the size and shape of an emergency exit "plug" on the left-hand side of the aircraft aft of the wing. The flight climbed to as high as 16,300 feet, according to data from FlightRadar24, seven minutes after taking off from Portland, before quickly descending to below 10,000 feet and looping around to return to the airport. Want more aviation news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter. The flight, AS 1282, bound for Ontario, California, safely returned to Portland with 171 passengers and 6 crew members, the airline said. The FAA will order the grounding of some Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, the agency said Saturday, after an Alaska Airlines aircraft departing the Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon experienced a sudden hull breach and decompression. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |