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FAA grounds all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft
The US Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 jets at the weekend.
It follows a scary mid-flight incident on an Alaska Airlines flight between Portland, OR and Ontario, CA.
Shortly after takeoff a fuselage panel including a window blew out.
The plane landed safely back at Portland.
“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said.
“Safety will continue to drive our decision-making.”
The FAA is assisting the National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the incident.
The agency said inspection of each aircraft will take four-to-eight hours.
There are currently 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets in service.
Video taken a short time after the incident showed a large gap where the panel was with passenger oxygen masks deployed.
It caused a few minor injuries, the Port of Portland Fire Department said.
Alaska Airlines said it is liaising with Boeing to ascertain how it happened.
The aircraft is just a few months old, having received its certificate of airworthiness in October 2023.
“My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said.
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