FAA Grounds Boeing 737 Max 9s After Alaska Airlines Midair Emergency

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a temporary grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft following an incident where an Alaska Airlines flight was forced to execute an emergency landing in Portland due to a mid-air blowout. The fuselage failure occurred shortly after takeoff on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, causing a boy's shirt to be suctioned from his body. Despite the dramatic event, the plane, which was en route to Ontario, California, landed safely without any reported serious injuries among the 171 passengers and six crew members.

In response to the fuselage blowout, which took place at approximately 5:07 p.m. after the aircraft reached an altitude of 16,500 feet, the FAA has mandated immediate inspections of specific Boeing 737 Max 9 planes. Over 100 flights have been canceled as a result of the grounding. The inspection process for each aircraft is estimated to take between four to eight hours, although the FAA has yet to provide a definitive cause for the incident.