US orders Boeing 737 Max 9 planes grounded after Alaska Airlines blowout

Nearly 200 planes out of commission as FAA investigates Saturday flight from Portland, Oregon, where cabin panel blew out mid-air

US regulators have ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following a cabin panel blowout late Friday that forced a brand-new airplane operated by Alaska Airlines to make an emergency landing.

The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight," said Mike Whitaker, a Federal Aviation Administration administrator, on Saturday. Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB's [National Transportation Safety Board] investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282."