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Alaska Airlines flight forced to make emergency landing at PDX after a panel on side of the plane blew out
The flight, No. 1282, was heading from PDX to Ontario, California. Photos show that a panel on the back left side of the plane was jettisoned during the flight. (www.kgw.com) More...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
ANY ONE KNOW HOW MANY FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE 737 MAX GROUNDING?
From what I have read the "door" came out at ~16,000 feet...just imagine what we would be seeing if if came out at +30,000 feet!
Air pressure at 16,000 ft is roughly 8 psi while only 4.4 psi at 30,000 ft!
Air pressure at 16,000 ft is roughly 8 psi while only 4.4 psi at 30,000 ft!
737s have survived explosive decompression at cruising altitude: Alpha 243 and Southwest 1380. The lucky break in this incident was that the door plug didn’t hit and damage any flight controls.
True however the Southwest incident was more of a "puncture" which reduced the speed of decompression compared to the huge hole left by the "door".
The Aloha plane was at 24,000 ft. (5.7 PSI). In that one there was a fatality.
The Aloha plane was at 24,000 ft. (5.7 PSI). In that one there was a fatality.
* Aloha not Alpha. ð
The difficulty for Boeing is that they do not appear to have moved on from the disastrous crashes of their 737-MAX aircraft in 2018 and 2019 which resulted in the deaths of nearly 350 people. Had the Alaska Airlines flight attained normal cruising altitude then the loss of the door plug would have (in all probability) created a far more serious situation with the possible total loss of the aircraft and all on board.
At the very least in raises a host of new questions about Boeing's quality control as well as their manufacturing processes. 737-MAX deliveries have already suffered massive delays due to electrical problems and just last year to non-compliant fittings. Loose or missing bolts will not be seen as 'type specific' and do nothing for client confidence in them as a manufacturer.
Airlines looking to place new orders for their fleets will be watching customer preference very carefully and I suggest that those that do stay with Boeing will be squeezing every last penny or cent that they can out them for their loyalty. Hardly helpful for Boeing given their current financial status.
Of course, not only will Boeing have to come up with answers for their customers but equally they will need to satisfy the regulators and that, I suspect, will be the most difficult
At the very least in raises a host of new questions about Boeing's quality control as well as their manufacturing processes. 737-MAX deliveries have already suffered massive delays due to electrical problems and just last year to non-compliant fittings. Loose or missing bolts will not be seen as 'type specific' and do nothing for client confidence in them as a manufacturer.
Airlines looking to place new orders for their fleets will be watching customer preference very carefully and I suggest that those that do stay with Boeing will be squeezing every last penny or cent that they can out them for their loyalty. Hardly helpful for Boeing given their current financial status.
Of course, not only will Boeing have to come up with answers for their customers but equally they will need to satisfy the regulators and that, I suspect, will be the most difficult