FAA grounds 737 Max 9 Aircraft Indefinitely after Alaska Airlines incident

[jb747]

It is being reported that the aircraft involved, N704AL, had pressurisation issues on two occasions the day prior, and the aircraft was removed from ETOPS flying as a result.

I don’t think this is directly related. If the plug wasn’t sealing properly, to the extent that it affected the pressurisation, then the noise by the door would be horrendous. Bad door seals scream! Removing it from ETOPS flying is indicative of the loss of some redundancy. One pack, or APU, but not a leaking fuselage.

 

[Milefest]

I will continue to avoid this aircraft type, thankfully easily done domestically and worth paying a little more to avoid internationally imo.

Others risk appetites may of course vary.

Not defending Boeing but even considering all these incidents, the Max model is orders of magnitude safer than your Uber to the airport

 

[Lynda2475]

Not defending Boeing but even considering all these incidents, the Max model is orders of magnitude safer than your Uber to the airport

Comparing air travel with road travel is moot, as apples and oranges.

The Max has thus far had a lot of unacceptable incidents, making it in my mind orders of magnitude less safe based on recent history than the alternative aircraft flying the same routes.

Everywhere Ive flown that the Max flies there has always been an alternative on an aircraft model i trust more, so lower risk option selected.

When an aircraft experiences a catastrophic failure at altitude, the risk of fatality and the skill required of the pilot to recover control (if they can) is far greater than if a driver has a bingle whilst crawling in traffic the 15 minutes from home to the airport.

Feel free to plays the odds and fly the Max, Im happy not to play the game.

 

[ChrisMars]

They say they are inspecting Max 9 aircraft and putting them back into service after inspection, but do they really know what they are looking for? Until they find the plug and the reasons for its failure, they really won't be sure what to look for.

I guess a bit like me when I open my car's bonnet for visual inspection. Yep, looks good, the engine is still there.

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

Did a worker pick up the wrong size screws when putting on the door.

Ha as if. Oh yeah, that.

Unfortunately, something similar has happened like that…

British Airways Flight 5390 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Dismounted]

I found this good technical overview of the mid-cabin doors on the 737

Same author posted a follow-up video today focusing on the how the plug attaches to the airframe - interesting stuff!

 

[jb747]

That’s a great find. His explanation of the mechanism is very clear. The upshot is that the bolts mentioned in the first video do not hold the plug closed at all, but simply stop it from moving vertically, and thus disengaging from the locking brackets. The load is carried by the brackets. I wonder if it will now turn out that these bolts were not fitted at all, as I can’t see any other way for the door to have come out of the bracket.

 

[flyer89]

I wonder if it will now turn out that these bolts were not fitted at all, as I can’t see any other way for the door to have come out of the bracket.

Destroying a reputation with one aircraft that should never have been made in the first place. This is what you get when you flog a dead horse for more than 50 years.

 

[Saab34]

Destroying a reputation with one aircraft that should never have been made in the first place. This is what you get when you flog a dead horse for more than 50 years.

It doesn’t give you confidence in the next clean sheet design either.

 

[Brissy1]

I find it interesting (and so lucky) that the plug blew out so early in the flight, at 16000ft. Normal inside pressure is about 80% of 1 atmosphere (although I don't know how quickly pressure is bled out... I presume it's slowed for passenger comfort), outside pressure at 16000ft about 55%, so not a really big difference (iff cabin pressure was down to normal). Compared to what it had frequently been (outside pressure 23% of 1 atm at 36000ft.). Plug might have been really on the edge after the last flight. Heavy landing?
Not an armchair expert, just musing.

 

[serfty]

the part of the fuselage that detached had been found - after a teacher named Bob located the missing section in his yard.

Plane part lost in dramatic mid-air blowout found

A Portland schoolteacher finds the door plug that blew off an Alaska Airlines plane in mid-air.

www.bbc.com

 

[justinbrett]

NTSB Chair is urging parents to get a separate seat for their infants (with a car seat) and not sit in their parents lap. I wonder if that might become a policy change.

 

[Brissy1]

NTSB Chair is urging parents to get a separate seat for their infants (with a car seat) and not sit in their parents lap. I wonder if that might become a policy change.

Well then I think that the NTSB Chair has lost the plot. If parents did that for every child, on every flight throughout the whole world, how many childrens lives would have been saved last year? Probably none.
There's so much else to do.

 

[Saab34]

NTSB advised not long ago that the coughpit door blew open, pilots had headsets thrown off them, ended up in First Class, and the checklists got pulled out the door into the cabin also.

Had no idea that the coughpit door could fly open like that. I can see why the Pilots on the comms sounded a bit stressed.

If they lost headsets into the cabin, door flew open, I’d imagine they were thinking something pretty catastrophic had gone on, life is at risk, explains the first comms from the crew which sounded pretty desperate.

 

[eastwest101]

NTSB advised not long ago that the coughpit door blew open, pilots had headsets thrown off them, and the checklists got pulled out the door into the cabin.

Had no idea that the coughpit door could fly open like that. I can see why the Pilots on the comms sounded a bit stressed.

Yes - seems those coughpit doors aren't as secure as we thought, if that happens during a decompression event. Obviously, they should be pretty effective at keeping intruders out, but I wonder what mode of failure or condition would need to exist for that to happen?

 

[Saab34]

The more we learn, the more we realise how close we have potential been to losing someone out that door. Amazing that didn’t occur considering the forces at play. The child with the shirt ripped off must have had the belt on tight.

I will never take the seatbelt for granted ever again that’s for sure.

 

[serfty]

Loose bolts found on some United Airlines MAX-9's during mandated inspections

United finds loose bolts on plug doors during 737 Max 9 inspections

United Airlines has found loose bolts and other parts on 737 Max 9 plug doors as it inspects its fleet of Boeing jets following the Friday rapid depressurization aboard an Alaska Airlines jet of the same make, according to three people familiar with the findings.

theaircurrent.com

 

[DejaBrew]

Loose bolts found on UA MAX-9 during mandated inspections

United finds loose bolts on plug doors during 737 Max 9 inspections

United Airlines has found loose bolts and other parts on 737 Max 9 plug doors as it inspects its fleet of Boeing jets following the Friday rapid depressurization aboard an Alaska Airlines jet of the same make, according to three people familiar with the findings.

theaircurrent.com

Stating the obvious here I appreciate, but if this is accurate (in terms of the plug doors never having been touched since installation), then this reflects really poorly on Boeing and their production line. Seems like a pretty fundamental error - the screw is screwed in and torqued appropriately, or it’s not.

 

[serfty]

the screw is screwed in and torqued appropriately, or it’s not.

Let alone the Locking Pins ...

 

[Captain Halliday]

NTSB advised not long ago that the coughpit door blew open, pilots had headsets thrown off them, ended up in First Class, and the checklists got pulled out the door into the cabin also.

Had no idea that the coughpit door could fly open like that. I can see why the Pilots on the comms sounded a bit stressed.

If they lost headsets into the cabin, door flew open, I’d imagine they were thinking something pretty catastrophic had gone on, life is at risk, explains the first comms from the crew which sounded pretty desperate.

If that doesn't warrant a "mayday" I don't know what does.