Federal authorities on Saturday issued an immediate grounding directive for certain Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners following a blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines plane that resulted in a significant rupture in the fuselage.
The mandated inspections, lasting between four to eight hours per aircraft, impact approximately 171 planes globally.
Alaska Airlines reported that, as part of recent maintenance on 18 of its 65 737 Max 9 aircraft, crews had already inspected the paneled-over exits, allowing those planes to resume service on Saturday.
Inspections for the remaining aircraft were slated for completion in the coming days, the Associated Press reported.
The incident involved an Alaska Airlines jetliner experiencing fuselage damage shortly after takeoff, prompting an emergency landing above Oregon.
The 171 passengers and six crew members onboard donned oxygen masks, and the depressurized plane safely returned to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after departure, with no serious injuries reported.
Authorities are actively searching for the missing door from the paneled-over exit, with National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy indicating a likely location near Oregon Route 217 and Barnes Road in the Cedar Hills area west of Portland during a late Saturday news conference.
Written by B.C. Begley
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B.C. Begley 