Boeing mishap brings safety issue to the fore

WASHINGTON — A "key missing component" from the Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet involved in an Alaska Airlines emergency landing on Friday had been recovered while voice recorder data on the jet was overwritten, US authorities said late on Sunday, as the emergency renews attention on the industry's safety.

The emergency, which saw no major injuries, prompted airlines and safety bodies around the world to ground some versions of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets pending inspections, with dozens of flights canceled.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said the lost "door plug "was found on Sunday near Portland, Oregon, by a school teacher — for now, known only as Bob — who discovered it in his backyard and sent two photos to the safety board.

Investigators will examine the plug, which is 66 by 121 centimeters and weighs 28.5 kilograms, for signs of how it broke free.

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy had earlier told reporters the aircraft part was a "key missing component" to determine why the accident occurred.

The door plug tore off the left side of the Alaska Airlines jet on Friday following takeoff from Portland, Oregon, en route to Ontario, California, depressurizing the plane and forcing pilots to turn back and land safely with all 171 passengers and six crew members on board.

Also, Homendy said on Sunday no data was available on the cockpit voice recorder because it was not retrieved within two hours — when recording restarts, erasing previous data.

The US requires cockpit voice recorders to log two hours of data versus 25 hours in Europe for planes made after 2021.

The debate about whether to adopt the longer recording standard weighs considerations about cost and privacy implications against safety, Reuters reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, has previously rejected the NTSB's call for mandating the retrofitting of aircraft with new cockpit voice recorders, saying the costs would be significant at $741 million versus $196 million.

Alarm sounded

The issue has taken on new urgency after a series of near-miss incidents raised alarms about US air safety.

The FAA on Saturday ordered the temporary grounding of some Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory.

No passengers were seated directly next to the section of the plane that blew off, Homendy said during a news conference on Saturday night.

One person was taken to a hospital. The airline said in a statement on Saturday that several people on Flight 1282 were injured and required medical attention but have all since been medically cleared. The plane had been in service for just eight weeks.

The FAA "is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight", the US regulator said on X, formerly Twitter.

The FAA said its Emergency Airworthiness Directive will affect approximately 171 airplanes. Boeing has delivered a total of 218 MAX 9s worldwide.

Indonesia temporarily grounded three Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes on Saturday, operated by Lion Air, despite different configurations from the plane that had to make an emergency landing in the US, the transport ministry said on Monday.

Turkish Airlines also removed its fleet of five Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft from operation for examination, company spokesperson Yahya Ustun said on X.

According to local reports, Copa Airlines and Aeromexico, the flag carriers of Panama and Mexico, together grounded about 40 Boeing 737 Max 9s after the Alaska Airlines incident.

Copa Airlines, which temporarily suspended 21 737 MAX 9 aircraft, expressed confidence in returning them to the flight schedule safely and reliably within the next 24 hours. The airline also acknowledged potential delays and cancellations during this period.

Ai Heping in New York contributed to this story.

Agencies - Xinhua