The Boeing jetliner involved in the recent inflight blowout over Oregon was subsequently restricted from flights to Hawaii after a warning light indicating a possible pressurization issue appeared on three separate flights, according to a federal official on Sunday. Alaska Airlines made the decision to limit the aircraft from extended flights over water, allowing for quick return to an airport if the warning light reoccurred, said National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.
However, Homendy emphasized that the pressurization light issue might be unrelated to Friday’s incident where a plug covering an unused exit door blew off the Boeing 737 Max 9 at an altitude of about 3 miles over Oregon. The plug was found near Portland on Sunday by a school teacher.
During a news conference, Homendy provided additional details about the chaotic scene in the aircraft and cockpit when the incident occurred. The cockpit door flew open, causing the depressurization to rip the headset off the co-pilot and the captain to lose part of her headset. A quick reference checklist also flew out of the door. Despite the chaos, the plane, carrying 171 passengers and six flight crew, landed safely back in Portland.
Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the grounding of 171 Max 9s, including those operated by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. The FAA instructed inspections for each plane, a process expected to take four to eight hours. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines grounded their Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners again on Sunday, awaiting guidance on how to inspect the planes to prevent a similar inflight blowout.
Alaska Airlines, which had initially returned 18 of its 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft to service on Saturday, received a notice from the FAA indicating that additional work might be necessary on those planes. As a result, the airline canceled 170 flights, more than one-fifth of its schedule, by mid-afternoon on the West Coast. United Airlines scrapped about 180 flights while waiting for a multi-operator message from Boeing, which has not yet been submitted to the FAA.
The NTSB stated that the lost door plug was found on Sunday by a school teacher near Portland. The incident is still under investigation, and the cause of the door plug detachment has not been determined.
