Key Insights into Boeing's Recent 737 Max Crisis
Alaska Airlines flight faced a terrifying ordeal as a section of the wall detached mid-flight, causing an emergency landing This incident adds to Boeing's long-standing problems, though the CEO has admitted their mistakes Despite the crisis, Boeing managed to have a successful 2023 Ongoing investigations have uncovered loose hardware in other 737 Max 9 aircraft
An Alaska Airlines flight with 177 passengers had to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon on Friday, after a section of the wall on the new 737 Max 9 aircraft became detached mid-flight, creating a large hole in the side of the plane. Despite the frightening incident, there were no fatalities or serious injuries. Videos of the alarming event spread rapidly online.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary grounding order for most Boeing 737 Max 9 planes on Saturday, pending investigation into the incident. Around 171 planes are affected by the order. The incident has also drawn the interest of lawmakers outside of the airline industry, with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance calling for a hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee to assess the 737 Max incidents, Boeing's engineering and safety standards, and the effectiveness of oversight by the FAA and other relevant government agencies in a statement on Tuesday.
President Joe Biden is monitoring the issue, the White House said Tuesday.
Here are 5 things to know as Boeing faces yet another 737 Max crisis.
Boeing has faced years of problems
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-in-Charge John Lovell inspects the fuselage plug area of the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX, which had to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage, in Portland, Oregon, U.S. on January 7, 2024. (NTSB/Handout/Reuters)
Boeing has been dealing with persistent quality and safety problems in its aircraft for five years, resulting in the extended grounding of certain jets and cessation of deliveries for others.
The design of the 737 Max was determined to be the cause of two tragic crashes – one in Indonesia in October 2018 and the other in Ethiopia in March 2019. These crashes resulted in the loss of all 346 passengers onboard the two flights and forced a 20-month grounding of the company's popular jets, leading to a financial loss exceeding $21 billion.
During the 737 Max grounding, internal communications revealed an employee referring to the jet as being "designed by clowns, who in turn are supervised by monkeys." Boeing recently requested airlines to inspect all of their 737 Max jets for a potential loose bolt in the rudder system following the discovery of a potential problem with a key component on two aircraft.
Boeings CEO has acknowledged its mistake
Boeing's issues with quality and engineering have not been limited to the 737. The company was forced to stop deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner twice, first for about a year starting in 2021 and again in 2023, due to concerns about quality raised by the FAA. The 777 jet also faced a grounding after an engine failure on a United flight resulted in engine debris being scattered onto homes and the ground below.
Investigation involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in Portland, Oregon.
National Transportation Safety Board
CEO David Calhoun acknowledged the companys "mistake" related to the Alaska Airlines incident at a staff-wide "safety meeting" Tuesday.
"We will start by acknowledging our mistake number one," Calhoun informed the staff during the meeting, as per the meeting details shared with CNN. "We are committed to complete transparency and working closely with the NTSB to investigate the accident and determine the cause." A source from the company had earlier informed CNN that Boeing believes the mistake occurred in the aircraft's manufacturing supply chain, but it is unclear if Calhoun mentioned any specific error during the presentation.
In his remarks to employees on Tuesday, Calhoun acknowledged some of the images from the accident, including those that revealed a large hole in the side of the plane. "When I saw that picture, my first thought was - I didn't know the circumstances or who was supposed to be in the seat next to that hole in the airplane," Calhoun said. "I have children and grandchildren, as do many of you. This is important. Every detail matters."
Of the ongoing investigation, Calhoun added that he "trust[s] every step they take, and they will get to a conclusion."
Boeing still had a great 2023
Boeing overcame its challenges and had its most successful year since the grounding of the 737 Max in 2019. In December, the company reported record new plane orders and one of its best years for sales. Overall, Boeing received 1,456 gross orders, making it one of its best years in history. When factoring in canceled orders, the total came to 1,314 commercial aircraft, marking its third best year and the highest total since 2014.
Boeing and Airbus' dominant position in the global aviation industry contributes greatly to their success. With no other major competitors, Boeing is unlikely to be pushed out of business despite its mistakes. While both companies have a backlog of orders, they are still unable to meet the demand for commercial aircraft. However, ongoing issues have resulted in Boeing lagging further behind Airbus.
Whats been found so far
officials have recovered the missing door plug from Alaska Airlines flight 1282, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 that suffered a rapid decompression over Portland, Oregon on Friday. The discovery was made through NTSB handout images.
The NTSB spokesperson Eric Weiss announced that a preliminary report is anticipated to be released within the next three to four weeks.
Additionally, the NTSB has been retrieving items that were expelled from the plane. Over the weekend, a piece of the aircraft's fuselage was discovered in the backyard of a Portland schoolteacher, who promptly contacted the agency. Furthermore, two cell phones that were possibly ejected from the plane's hole were located in a yard and on the side of the road, and have since been handed over to investigators.
Loose hardware in other Max 9s
Shocking details have emerged early on, with the damage spreading across multiple rows of the aircraft. Fortunately, the two seats adjacent to the detached door were unoccupied at the time of the blowout, although their headrests were torn off, as reported by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.
United Airlines, which has the largest number of Max 9s among US carriers, revealed on Monday that it discovered loose door plug bolts on an unspecified number of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft while conducting mandatory inspections required by the FAA. Similarly, Alaska Airlines announced on Monday that it also found loose hardware on some of its 737 Max 9 planes during inspections.
- CNNs Catherine Thorbecke, Chris Isidore, Greg Wallace and Pete Muntean contributed to this report.
