Boeing 737-9 Max - two months old plane loses cabin window and panel

[HansPeter]

Alaska Airlines flight 1282, 2024/1/5 lost a window and panel at about 16,000 feet.


The Boeing 737-9 Max was apparently delivered to Alaska Airline 2023/10/31.

https://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-b737ng-67501.htm


Plane landed safely and the 171 pax and 6 crew were ok.


https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/06/us/alaska-airlines-window-landing/index.html


What’s going on here - build quality or something else?

[Evan]

The thing is cursed.

This might be a Boeing issue or it might be the work of a third party installation. The emergency exit door is permitted to be plugged in certain configurations, replaced by a normal row of seats wall panel. In any case, the plug failed. Mercifully, it did not fail at cruise level altitude.

[flashcrash]

AS grounds entire 737 Max 9 fleet.

Alaska Airlines grounds 737 Max 9 planes after section blows out mid-air (bbc.com)

""My heart goes out to those who were on this flight - I am so sorry for what you experienced," Mr Minicucci said. "I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants."

[Evan]

If the FAA doesn't immediately issue an emergency AD over this requiring fleetwide inspections of all 737 MAX 9 (and MAX-8 200, MAX 10?) aircraft with plugged emergency exits within a very short window of compliance, I give up.

[flashcrash]

FAA Statement on Temporary Grounding of Certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 Aircraft | Federal Aviation Administration

“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 investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”

[Evan]

FAA Statement on Temporary Grounding of Certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 Aircraft | Federal Aviation Administration

“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 investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”

Hopefully this extends to ALL 737 MAX types with a plugged mid-aft exit.

[Gabriel]

Hopefully this extends to ALL 737 MAX types with a plugged mid-aft exit.

I believe, all versions of the MAX currently in service may have a plugged mid-aft emergency exit option. For example Ryanair's MAX-200 is a MAX-8 with up to 200 seats and it requires this exit. But a "standard" MAX-8 typically seats less than 189 pax, which is the exit limit with 2 overwing exists per side and no mid-aft exit. I am not sure if in this case the exist is just not built or if it is plugged. I think the MAX-9 always has this exist but it can be plugged if fitted with less than 189 seats (Alaska's has I think 178 )
Add the NG (737-900) too. I think that it has the same mid-af exit which is also sometimes plugged.

[flashcrash]

Add the NG (737-900) too. I think that it has the same mid-af exit which is also sometimes plugged.

The press release refers only to "737 MAX 9 aircraft". But the EAD itself (#: 2024-02-51) is addressed to all "owners and operators of The Boeing Company Model 737-9 airplanes"

[LH-B744]

Seriously, the 737 Max again?

Today I don't know where to begin. Probably rather with the thing that has made me come here to jetphotos tonight:

https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/panorama/boeing-kabinenteil-abriss-flugverbot-100.html

As I am #8 here in this topic, I don't think that I have to (re-) translate that completely.. Only one thing, which in this link was translated correctly (to German), but not everywhere in Germany:
"Dies gelte für Maschinen, die von US-Fluggesellschaften betrieben würden oder auf amerikanischem Territorium unterwegs seien - weltweit 171 Flugzeuge."

Yes, that's right. Somewhere else in Germany they speak of "die von US-Airlines betrieben würden...", which in my eyes is a little bit misleading. For sure, we don't speak of
US Airways, which has ceased to exist in October 2015.

So, the 737 Max again?

The very first question that I had only a few minutes ago was, what the hell stresses all these 737 a/c so very much
that the structure of that not so very old jet somehow collapses?

And where is the difference to my avatar or to the whole 747 family? I've never heard of a B744 or a B748 where something comparable had happened.

[Gabriel]

The press release refers only to "737 MAX 9 aircraft". But the EAD itself (#: 2024-02-51) is addressed to all "owners and operators of The Boeing Company Model 737-9 airplanes"

737 MAX 9 and 737-9 is the same thing, no?

[LH-B744]

737 MAX 9 and 737-9 is the same thing, no?

Really? I don't think so, and I am not (either) a 737 expert, obviously.

[LH-B744]

Happy New Year, Gabe!

So, let's start a conversation between two obviously not quite 737 experts.

B737-900ER (taken from the en wiki) >> wingspan 34.32 meter with winglets - length 42.11 meter
or
B737 Max 9 (taken from a different en wiki, which is the 737 MAX en wiki) >> wingspan 35.92 meter - length 42.16 meter

Imho it is not the same. The biggest difference is,

the B739ER comes without the Boeing MCAS system .... (?!) . ....

And the B739ER has a different type of engines.

[Gabriel]

Happy New Year, Gabe!

So, let's start a conversation between two obviously not quite 737 experts.

B737-900ER (taken from the en wiki) >> wingspan 34.32 meter with winglets - length 42.11 meter
or
B737 Max 9 (taken from a different en wiki, which is the 737 MAX en wiki) >> wingspan 35.92 meter - length 42.16 meter

Imho it is not the same. The biggest difference is,

the B739ER comes without the Boeing MCAS system .... (?!) . ....

And the B739ER has a different type of engines.

Obviously the -900 and the MAX-9 are not the same. One is a 3r generation (NG) and the other is a 4th generation )MAX) version of the 737.
What I am saying is that the MAX-9 and the -9 are the same. And I mean just two version of the same name for the exact thing. The -9 is the MAX-9. There is no other -9 in the 737 line. The -900 is -900, not -9.

[Gabriel]

I believe, all versions of the MAX currently in service may have a plugged mid-aft emergency exit option. For example Ryanair's MAX-200 is a MAX-8 with up to 200 seats and it requires this exit. But a "standard" MAX-8 typically seats less than 189 pax, which is the exit limit with 2 overwing exists per side and no mid-aft exit. I am not sure if in this case the exist is just not built or if it is plugged. I think the MAX-9 always has this exist but it can be plugged if fitted with less than 189 seats (Alaska's has I think 178 )
Add the NG (737-900) too. I think that it has the same mid-af exit which is also sometimes plugged.

Ok, relatively good news for Boeing and many airlines (although I am sure it is not news for them): Only the MAX-9 can be equipped with a plug mid-aft emergency exit plug.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw4eQGAmXQ0

[LH-B744]

Obviously the -900 and the MAX-9 are not the same. One is a 3r generation (NG) and the other is a 4th generation )MAX) version of the 737.
What I am saying is that the MAX-9 and the -9 are the same. And I mean just two version of the same name for the exact thing. The -9 is the MAX-9. There is no other -9 in the 737 line. The -900 is -900, not -9.

Yes, I understand what you mean! We are talking about Hans Peter (the threadstarter) who has not quite exactly found the correct name for this topic, aren't we.

Obviously this topic rather is a "Boeing 737 MAX 9", at least that's what the en wiki says:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_MAX#Specifications

And obviously Hans Peter has not so very much used the en wiki, but rather the jetphotos database (!):

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/11172305

...according to the jetphotos database this is a 737-8 MAX . And I'd bet, en wiki tries to convince us, this is a 737 MAX 8 .

Which basically really seems to be the same.

PS: Hans Peter uses the jetphotos database spelling, a good guy. Btw, this is what the manufacturer says, so, I'd tend to say
1 : 0 for the jetphotos database spelling:

https://www.boeing.com/commercial/737max/#/technical-specs

It seems to be a 737-9 from the 737 MAX family, short: 737-9 MAX .