FAA grounds 171 Boeing 737 Max 9s after Alaska Airlines panel blows out in mid-flight

The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered the temporary grounding of 171 “certain” Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes, a day after a panel on one of the aircraft flown by Alaska Airlines blew out while in mid-flight.

The inspection order applies to airlines operating the aircraft in the U.S. or its territories.  

“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB’s [National Transportation Safety Board] investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”

FORMER DELTA PILOT WHO ALLEGEDLY THREATENED TO SHOOT HIS CO-PILOT MIDAIR CLAIMS IT WAS ‘A MISUNDERSTANDING’

The order came after Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, experienced an “incident” shortly after departure. The aircraft, which was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, landed safely back at Portland International Airport.

One passenger told a local media outlet that people’s phones were sucked out of the plane and that a child close to the damaged part of the plane lost his shirt from the violent and sudden depressurization.

The pilot radioed to the air traffic controller immediately after the incident declaring that the flight had depressurized. The plane was about six minutes into its flight and about 16,000 feet in the air when it began its descent, according to FlightAware.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that, “Safety will always be the top priority for our Department and for FAA.”

Administrator Whitaker has acted to order these aircraft grounded pending the inspections necessary to ensure that they are safe to operate,” he stated in a post on X. 

“Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers,” a Boeing statement said. “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 (National Transportation Safety Board) investigation into last night’s event. We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers.”

The Max is the newest version of Boeing’s venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane frequently used on U.S. domestic flights. The plane went into service in May 2017, according to The Associated Press. 

The plane was delivered to Alaska Airlines in October.

United Airlines told FOX Business that it has 79 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, including 33 that have already received the necessary inspection that is required by the FAA. Removing the aircraft from service was expected to result in at least 60 flight cancelations on Saturday, the airline said. 

“United has temporarily suspended service on select Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to conduct an inspection required by the FAA, a United statement said. “We are working directly with impacted customers to find them alternative travel options.

FOX Business’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.