- ANA flight window fracture
- Alaska Airlines 737-9 grounded
- FAA suspends all 737 MAX 9
A domestic flight operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) of Japan was redirected to its point of departure following the discovery of a fracture on the cockpit window of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft midair.
On Saturday, an airline spokesperson stated that Flight 1182, en route to Toyama airport in Japan, returned to Sapporo-New Chitose airport after a fracture was discovered in the outermost of four layers of windows encircling the cockpit.
The airline added that no injuries were reported among the 59 passengers and six crew members.
“Neither the pressure nor the flight’s control were impacted by the crack,” an ANA spokesperson stated.
A week has passed since the last incident involving a Boeing aircraft.
Although the ANA aircraft is a 737 model, it is not one of Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 aircraft, which have been in the public eye since last Saturday when a blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight left a gaping crater in the side of the fuselage.
Although all 174 passengers and six crew members of the Alaska flight landed safely. Flight data showed the plane reached 16,000 feet (4,876 metres) before descending to Portland International Airport.
Alaska Airlines has announced that its fleet of 737-9 aircraft will be grounded.
Aircraft “grounded”
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday that until Boeing provides additional information regarding the near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines incident, all 737 MAX 9 aircraft will remain suspended.
“The FAA will ground the Boeing 737-9 MAX until extensive maintenance and inspection data is reviewed and extensive inspection and maintenance are conducted to ensure the safety of American passengers,” the agency said in a statement.
The safety regulator has also initiated an investigation into the incident, which is the first significant in-flight safety concern involving a Boeing aircraft since the fatal 737 MAX accidents of 2018 and 2019, which resulted in an extended grounding of the aircraft.
“We are working diligently to ensure that this never occurs again,” said Mike Whitaker, administrator of the FAA.
“American passengers’ safety is our primary priority, so the Boeing 737-9 MAX will be grounded until it is safe.”
Boeing said Friday it supported the FAA’s announcement and will “cooperate fully and transparently”.
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“We endorse all initiatives that enhance quality and safety, and we are implementing such measures throughout our production network.”
Historically, Boeing 737 Max aircraft have been suspended globally. In October 2018, they were grounded for nearly two years following two fatal crashes. One in Indonesia in October 2018 and another in Ethiopia five months later killed 157.
After Boeing revised the automatic flight-control system, which had caused both mishaps, the aircraft was cleared to fly again.
