SEATTLE - After five days of inspections and 40 evaluations, Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 remains grounded — without a clear timeline to take off. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it had begun reviewing data from the first round of inspections on the grounded 737 MAX 9 planes. Those planes — about 171 of them — have become the subject of regulatory and consumer scrutiny after a door plug, installed to cover an unused emergency exit, flew out on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland on Jan. 5, Lauren Rosenblatt reports for the Seattle Times. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
19 January 2024 -“All 737-9 MAX aircraft with door plugs will remain grounded pending the FAA’s review and final approval of an inspection and maintenance process that satisfies all FAA safety requirements,” the agency wrote in a statement. “Once the FAA approves an inspection and maintenance process, it will be required on every grounded 737-9 MAX prior to future operation.”
Boeing said, "Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers. We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane. In addition, a Boeing technical team is supporting the NTSB's investigation into the Jan. 5 accident. We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers."
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
