America's FAA Temporarily Grounds All Boeing 737 Max 9s - After a Window Blows Off In-Flight

Today America's Federal Aviation Administration "ordered the temporary grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft," reports CNN, identifying the aircraft as "the model involved in an Alaska Airlines emergency landing in Oregon on Friday after a section of the plane apparently blew out in midflight."A passenger's video posted to social media shows a side section of the fuselage, where a window would have been, missing - exposing passengers to the outside air. The video, which appears to have been taken from several rows behind the incident, shows oxygen masks deployed throughout the airplane, and least two people sitting near and just behind the missing section... The plane "landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and six crew members," the airline said... According to FlightAware, the flight was airborne for about 20 minutes. "There was a really loud bang toward the rear of the plane and a whoosh noise," one passenger told a local news station - and then "all of the masks dropped." Long-time Slashdot reader ArchieBunkershares more details from the BBC:Diego Murillo said the gap was "as wide as a refrigerator". Fellow passenger Elizabeth Lee added: "Part of the plane was missing and the wind was just extremely loud. but everyone was in their seats and had their belt on." Jessica Montoia described the flight as a "trip from hell" adding a phone was taken out of a man's hand by the wind. CNN covers the federal response:The FAA said the planes must be parked until emergency inspections are performed, which will "take around four to eight hours per aircraft." "The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said Saturday in a statement. "Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the (National Transportation Safety Board's) investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282." The order impacts 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets, the agency approximates.... Boeing said the company supported the FAA's grounding decision. "Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers," Boeing said in a statement Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader lsllll for sharing the news.

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