FAA completes inspections of 40 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it has completed the initial inspections of 40 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft following the incident in which a door plug blew out of the fuselage during flight.
AA
In a statement from the FAA, it was reported that following the decision to ground 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, Boeing's production practices and production lines, including those of subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems, are being investigated.
The statement recalled that the FAA's requirements for the inspection and maintenance process of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft were announced last week, noting that the inspection of the first 40 aircraft, which are part of this process, has been completed and that the agency will comprehensively review the data obtained from them.
The statement indicated that the aircraft in question will remain grounded until the final approval of the inspection and maintenance process that meets the FAA's safety requirements, emphasizing that after approval, every grounded 737 MAX 9 aircraft will be required to undergo these processes before flying again.
Pointing out that the safety of passengers will determine when the Boeing 737 MAX 9 will return to service, the statement noted that the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the incident is ongoing.
FUSELAGE PART HAD DETACHED
In the U.S., an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 passenger plane made an emergency landing on the evening of January 5 after a part of its fuselage detached while in the air.
While the plane, which was flying from Oregon to California, had to make an emergency landing approximately 35 minutes after takeoff, it was reported that there were no passengers in the section where the part detached from the fuselage.
In a written statement from Alaska Airlines, it was noted that the plane landed safely with 171 passengers and 6 cabin crew members on board.
The statement indicated that 65 737 MAX 9 aircraft would be temporarily taken out of service for inspection, and it was reported that the inspections were expected to take a few days.
The FAA had announced that Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft would not be flown until operators completed the necessary inspections.