Watch the video of the plane that lost its door on the flight in the United States

On Friday (January 5, 2024), a Boeing 737 MAX 9 from America's Alaska Airlines exploded in part of the plane, causing one of the plane's doors to be ejected. The episode resulted in decompression during flight.

The incident was reported when the plane was at an altitude of about 16,000 feet and had flown for 10 minutes. In the configuration used by Alaska Airlines, the additional exit door (used as an emergency exit in other companies) is permanently disabled.

No one was sitting in the 2 seats next to the door that exploded due to a hole in the plane's fuselage. A video circulating on social media shows the interior of the plane and a hole on the left side.

Watch (1min 14s):

The flight took off from Portland to Ontario, California (the name of the Canadian province of Ontario). The pilot made an emergency landing, but no one was injured. According to Alaska Airlines, the plane returned safely to Portland. There were 171 passengers and 6 crew on board.

Federal investigators from the United States began probing the episode on Sunday (January 7). According to NTSB (US National Transportation Safety Board) Chairman Jennifer Homandy, this type of incident could have had a much worse outcome, resulting in multiple deaths. “We're very fortunate that it didn't end in something more tragic.”he said.

Homendi announced Sunday (Jan. 7) that the plane's ejection door had been found by a professor from Portland, Oregon, identified as Bob. He found the piece in his backyard.

He mentioned that the committee is engaged in investigations “You should see” Check all the door components for markings, paint transfer and how it looked after the explosion. According to her, these elements can “Tell me a lot about what happened.”.

Saturday (January 6), Channel VAS AviationAir traffic controllers have released audio of the communication between Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 MAX 9.

“We declare an emergency”says a member of the flight crew. “We are depressed”He added that the plane had to return to Portland.

The controller who answered the call instructed the aircraft to head toward Portland and contacted air traffic control at the city's airport.

The Portland controller asks if they want to dump fuel to lighten the plane as it lands. With a negative response, emergency landing procedures begin.

Watch the flight path and listen to the audio (4 min 5 sec):

Also on Saturday (6 January), the North American company FAA The (Federal Aviation Administration) has ordered the temporary grounding of flights with Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.

The decision applies to 171 model jets operated by U.S. airlines or foreign companies pending an inspection within U.S. territory.

The decision was published on the agency's website (completeness in English – 167 kB). According to the FAA's Emergency Airworthiness Directorate, inspections take about 4 to 8 hours per flight.

Companies stop jetting

Alaska Airlines was the first to decide Suspension It is operating all of its 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for safety inspections.

Brazilian airlines do not have any Boeing 737 Max 9 models in operation. Anak (National Civil Aviation Agency).

However, there is one foreign company that flies to Brazil using jet aircraft: a Panamanian company Copa Airlines, which operates flights from São Paulo and Rio to Panama and the Caribbean. Even the company Suspended Operations with model.

The problem is history

The incident on the Alaska Airlines flight is the latest in a series of problems and fatal accidents affecting the Boeing 737 Max. The model was introduced in 2011 by the North American manufacturer as a new generation of the successful 737, which is widely used by the world's airlines.

The MAX came with the promise of 20% fuel savings and more seating. Boeing has already introduced 4 versions of the model:

• 737 max 7 Maximum 172 passengers
• 737 max 8 Maximum 210 passengers
• 737 max 9 Maximum 220 passengers
• 737 max 10 Maximum 230 passengers