FAA Launches Probe Of Boeing 737 Max 9 After Midair Door Plug Blowout

This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A panel used to plug an area reserved for an exit door on the Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner blew out Jan. 5, shortly after the flight took off from Portland, forcing the plane to return to Portland International Airport. (National Transportation Safety Board via AP)
This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A panel used to plug an area reserved for an exit door on the Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner blew out Jan. 5, shortly after the flight took off from Portland, forcing the plane to return to Portland International Airport. (National Transportation Safety Board via AP)

OAN’s Abril Elfi
10:53 AM – Thursday, January 11, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun an investigation of a Boeing 737 Max 9 after the door plug blew off mid-air.  

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On Wednesday, the FAA released a statement announcing that they have launched a formal investigation into the Boeing after a piece blew out last week mi-air, which forced the plane into an emergency landing

The FAA said that the MAX 9 incident on Alaska Airlines “should have never happened and it cannot happen again.” 

After discovering “more discrepancies,” the aviation administration informed Boeing of the investigation in a letter on Wednesday, aiming “to determine if Boeing failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations.”

“This investigation is a result of an incident on a Boeing Model 737-9 MAX where it lost a ‘plug’ type passenger door and additional discrepancies,” the statement said. “Boeing’s manufacturing practices need to comply with the high safety standards they’re legally accountable to meet.”

After the incident, the FAA had grounded 171 Boeing planes with the same panel pending safety inspections.

Earlier this week, both Alaska and United Airlines had announced that they found loose bolts on plug doors on multiple Boeing 737 Max 9 planes during their inspection. 

The carriers now reportedly need revised inspections from Boeing as well as FAA-approved maintenance inspections before they can begin taking flight again.

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