It was a terrifying moment for passengers when part of the fuselage of an almost new Boeing broke out shortly after takeoff. The 737-9 Max aircraft then had to remain on the ground for weeks. This required expensive reparations.
The weeks-long shutdown of Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft after a near-miss in January resulted in high costs for the aircraft manufacturer. The airline paid Alaska Airlines around $160 million (around €148 million) in the last quarter as compensation for lost revenue and additional expenses incurred. Further compensation is expected, but details are confidential, Alaska Airlines said in a statement on Thursday.
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Scary moment: Part of the fuselage of a Boeing 737-9 Max breaks out
In the incident in January with a virtually new Boeing 737-9 Max from Alaska Airlines, a fuselage fragment broke off in seat row 26 shortly after take-off. The more than 170 people on board largely escaped horror. However, it was only by a stroke of luck that the two seats near the hole in the fuselage remained empty and the aircraft was still at a relatively low altitude.
According to initial investigations, the accident investigation authority NTSB assumes that four fastening bolts were missing from the fuselage part. There are indications that the fragment continued to slide up until it broke out on the machine’s 154th flight, said NTSB chief Jennifer Homendy in a hearing in the US Senate. It is known that the fuselage fragment was removed and reinstalled at the Boeing factory for rework. However, the company has not yet been able to find any documents about this and make them available to the investigators. Boeing is under increased pressure to improve quality controls following the incident. CEO Dave Calhoun recently announced his retirement.
In addition to Alaska Airlines, the major US airline United also had to ground many aircraft until the end of January after the incident.
Source: Stern
