On January 5th, the door of a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Alaskan Airlines flight 1282, was blown off the fuselage after takeoff. Later investigation found that the cause of this situation was the bolts and hinges that Boeing used to secure the door. Thankfully, no one was injured in the event, and all Boeing 737 Max 9’s have been grounded until further notice.
The incident occurred at around 16000 feet, where the altitude change from cabin pressure at that height versus the cruising altitude of 35,000 is moderately different. If the plane was at its cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, the cabin would have most likely sustained major damage and caused a crash, but at 16,000 feet, the cabin was able to sustain the effects of depressurization. Passengers only sustained minor damage from the incident, with several personal items such as phones and other devices being sucked out of the plane.
The door and parts were found. After the investigation began, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found the cause of the accident was damage to the arrestor bolts, which are used to prevent the MED plug from falling off the plane. These bolts were missing during the flight, which is what caused the emergency release door to open.
After these findings, the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) grounded Boeing 737 Max 9’s for most of January. The FFA is also auditing Boeing’s Max 9 production lines. Boeing CEO takes responsibility for this problem