Alaska Airlines has suspended flights of dozens of Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes for safety checks after the plane's emergency exit door fell off during the flight, UNN writes.
A flight bound for Ontario, California, experienced a major cabin depressurization after, at an altitude of almost 5 kilometers, part of the plane's board fell off. Photos shared on social media show that part of the side and a window are missing - most likely the door of one of the emergency exits.
None of the more than 17o passengers and six crew members were injured in the incident. The airplane managed to land safely in Portland, Oregon, 35 minutes after takeoff.
"While such incidents are rare, our airplane crew was trained and prepared for safety measures in such a situation," Alaska Airlines said. Airline executives said 65 similar airplanes will be returned to service only after preventive maintenance and safety checks.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration have begun inspections. Boeing also said it was investigating the incident.
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The Boeing 737, first launched in 1967, is the most successful airplane in the world, with some 10,000 delivered. But the latest version, the MAX, has been party to two tragedies.
On October 29, 2018, a faulty sensor caused the anti-stall system to trip, causing Lion Air Flight 610 to crash shortly after takeoff from Jakarta. All 189 passengers and crew were killed.
Less than six months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, traveling from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, crashed under similar circumstances and killed 157 people.
Shortly thereafter, the airplane was grounded worldwide. After extensive modernization and certification, the aircraft is flying again, including for Europe's largest budget airline Ryanair.