Boeing: Teacher found torn aircraft part in his garden

The cabin part of a Boeing 737 Max that was torn off during a flight in the USA has been found. A teacher named “Bob” discovered the crashed plane part in his garden in the city of Portland, Oregon, said Jennifer Homendy from the US Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a press conference. The authority will examine the part of the wall that will be installed at the point where the manufacturer intended an emergency exit.

The incident occurred on Friday on an Alaska Airlines flight en route from Portland in the northwestern state of Oregon to Ontario Airport in California. According to media reports, shortly after takeoff, a part of the cabin including the window suddenly came loose and flew away. There was a big bang and then air rushed in through the hole, passengers told The Oregonian newspaper.

The seat right next to the window was unoccupied, but ultimately none of the 171 passengers were seriously injured. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a temporary take-off ban for more than 170 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said machines of this type are not in use in EU countries.

• Read here: Cabin part torn off in flight: US airline leaves Boeings on the ground

At Boeing, the accident follows a series of development and production errors. Again and again it’s the “Max” – the latest edition of the 737 medium-haul jet, whose basic design dates back to the 1960s. Medium-haul jets are the most popular aircraft types – and the “Max” is the most important source of revenue for Boeing.

With further development, the US group responded to the success of the Airbus A320neo medium-haul jet family. But then around five years ago two “Max” planes crashed, killing 346 people. Authorities around the world therefore imposed flight bans on the type: from March 2019, the “Max” was no longer allowed to take off for more than a year and a half and was only gradually permitted again after technical improvements. The disaster cost the manufacturer billions.

Incident weighs on share price

After four years of losses in a row, red numbers have recently emerged for 2023. In addition to expensive problems with other projects, the company recently had to interrupt deliveries of the 737 Max twice – first because of quality defects in the rear fuselage section, then because of faulty drill holes in the pressure bulkhead that closes off the rear of the aircraft cabin. The supplier Spirit Aerosystems was responsible in each case. The company used to belong to Boeing and produces around 70 percent of the 737 fuselages.

It is still unclear why the fuselage part burst from the Alaska Airlines jet – as well as whether Boeing or Spirit caused the problem. Since the “Max” accidents, however, every jet has to be approved by the FAA before delivery. Boeing shares lost around nine percent to $227.46 shortly after US trading began on Monday. Shortly before the crashes and the grounding of the 737 Max in March 2019, investors had paid almost twice as much, at up to $446. Shares from European competitor Airbus, however, approached their record high from December on Monday.