The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) discussed a potentially catastrophic scenario following an incident where an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 experienced a door plug blowout mid-flight.
The incident led to a cabin depressurization, prompting investigations into potential hazards affecting flights operated by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the two carriers using the 737 MAX 9.
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy emphasized the need for a thorough investigation to understand the cause. (Trending: Fox News Star Accused Of Major Scandal)
She also reassured the public about aviation safety, highlighting that incidents like this are rare.
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said, “If we think about a cruise altitude of about 30,000 or 35,000 feet, what is happening at that time? Flight attendants are providing service to the passengers. Passengers are up and moving. People are out of their seat belts. People are in lavatories. That would have been a much different scenario.”
“The pressure differential from outside the airplane to inside the airplane is much greater at that altitude. It would have been significant,” she continued.
“Our team right now is evaluating the right door plug and surrounding structure on the airplane that is intact. That’s opposite of the left one that blew out during the explosive decompression event, and that is still intact. They are looking at that and all the components,” Homendy said.
“Thankfully, we have the door plug itself,” she added.
“We are still looking at all the components and documenting what we would like to remove from the door plug’s surrounding structure that is on the airplane, and we’re going to remove a lot of the fittings and other components around this surrounding structure and take those back to our lab,” said Homendy.
“We’re going to really have to take a closer look under our microscopes and evaluate each of those components to really figure out what went wrong here,” explained the chair.
“We’re incredibly safe. With that said, we have a responsibility to look closely and take our time to figure out what occurred when these events do happen to ensure safety in our airspace,” concluded Homendy.
Additionally, United Airlines found loose bolts on its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes, leading to the suspension of its MAX 9 flights.
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