Alaska Airlines has returned some of its grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 jets to service after one of its planes lost a section of fuselage mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing in the US state of Oregon. The airline apologised to those affected, saying inspections had found “no concerning findings”.
The incident occurred on Friday when the aircraft, carrying 177 passengers and crew, landed safely in Portland. Boeing said it was aware of the incident and was “working to gather more information”, while the UK Civil Aviation Authority said it was “monitoring the situation very closely”.
Passengers described the ordeal. Evan Smith said: “There was a really loud bang towards the left rear of the plane and a woosh noise - and all the air masks dropped.” He added that a child’s shirt was sucked off and his mother held onto him. Elizabeth Lee said part of the plane was missing and the wind was extremely loud, while Jessica Montoia said a phone was taken out of a man’s hand by the wind.
Alaska Airlines initially grounded 65 planes, with CEO Ben Minicucci stating each aircraft would return to service only after full maintenance and safety inspections. A later statement confirmed that more than a quarter of those inspected had been cleared to fly. The flight, bound for Ontario, California, had reached 16,000ft when it began its emergency descent, according to flight tracking data.
The affected section, in the back third of the plane behind the wing and engines, is an area that can be used as an additional emergency exit door by some operators, but not by Alaska. The US Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the crew reported a pressurisation issue. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and Boeing said a technical team stands ready to support the inquiry.
The Boeing 737 Max has faced intense scrutiny since being grounded for 18 months in 2019 following two fatal crashes. Aviation expert John Strickland said the Alaska incident was very different, noting the aircraft had a “very good safety record” since returning to service.
