Recently, an Alaskan Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a midair flight incident.

The incident took place on January 5th, 2024, and since then, Alaska Airlines has grounded all flights on its Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes, which was the type of airplane involved in the incident. Now, additional flights have been canceled through at least Saturday, January 13th.

During a flight to Ontario, California, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 had a problem with airplane pressure. Due to the pressure, a chunk of the plane’s fuselage was blown out. The flight made a safe emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, with 171 passengers and six crew members on board.

Alaska Airlines responded to the incident on January 6th by announcing that it would temporarily suspend all 65 of its Boeing Max-9 aircraft until each place could be inspected. Those inspections were expected to only last a few days. However, NPR reports that Alaska Airlines has canceled all flights through at least Saturday, January 13th. That means anywhere from 110 to 150 flights a day will be canceled while the planes remain grounded.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proceeded to ground all Max 9 planes in the U.S. shortly after the incident. This also affected flights on United, the only other U.S. airline that uses Max 9 aircraft.

On January 11th, the Federal Aviation Administration released a statement on Twitter/X, stating, “This incident should never have happened and it cannot happen again. The FAA formally notified Boeing that it is conducting an investigation.”

This incident should have never happened and it cannot happen again. The FAA formally notified Boeing that it is conducting an investigation. pic.twitter.com/FJripns1CP

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2024

 

 

 

 

The National Transportation Safety Board recently stated they have not found the four bolts used to secure the door plug that blew off the plane on Flight 1282, and they are now uncertain as to whether those bolts were missing before the plane took off. The NTSB later ordered Boeing to revise its inspection and repair guidelines after both Alaska and United reported finding loose bolts, as well as other issues, with panel doors on other Max-9 planes they were inspecting, according to CNBC.

The Federal Aviation Administration stated it is now investigating Boeing to determine if “products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations,” per CNBC.

Boeing has stated that it is updating its inspection procedures, while the FAA pledged to let safety decide when the planes could fly again. There is no indication of how long that might take.

We’ll keep an eye on the situation and keep you updated, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

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