Read previewOn January 5, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 door plug broke off shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport, leaving a gaping hole in the jet's fuselage.
The Federal Aviation Administration quickly grounded 171 other Max 9 planes with the same door plug, mostly flown by United Airlines and Alaska.
Four critical bolts used to secure the door plug were missing from the jet when it left Boeing's assembly line, The Wall Street Journal reported, representing a massive quality control lapse.
Not all experts agree on the Max 9's safetyThe Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9.
AdvertisementAccording to the Washington Post, the travel booking website Kayak said its filter for the 737 Max significantly increased in the days after the incident.
Persons:
—, Max, Constance von Muehlen, Ingrid Barrentine, Mike Whitaker, Henry Harteveldt, Ed Pierson, I've, Joe Jacobsen, Harteveldt, Richard A, Brooks, Anthony Brickhouse, Brickhouse
Organizations:
Service, Alaska Airlines, Portland International Airport, Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines, Street Journal, Business, CNN, FAA, Boeing, Spirit Airlines, Panama's Copa Airlines, Copa, Reuters, Atmosphere Research, Alaska Airlines Boeing, National Transportation, Alaska Max, Washington Post, LA Times, Southwest Airlines, Japan Airlines, Getty, Riddle Aeronautical University, Japan Airlines Airbus, NTSB
Locations:
Alaska, United , Alaska, United, AFP