By Aarav Sapra
On January 5th, 2024, it was reported that the door plug blew off an Alaskan Airlines plane and sparked safety concerns. Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737, experienced a mid-air incident that stunned the airline industry. An unexpected door plug suddenly detached as the plane took off from Portland, Oregon. This created a gap in the fuselage and a rapid amount of decompression. This can be extremely dangerous when the cabin depressurizes. Although the amount of oxygen in the airplane stays the same, the molecules get further apart, creating the possibility of hypoxia. Hypoxia is when there is a lack of oxygen reaching the body’s tissues, possibly leading to dizziness, loss of consciousness or death. Fortunately, the pilot safely landed the airbus in Spokane, Washington, with only minor injuries among the 171 passengers and six crew members onboard. Moreover, passengers described this traumatic experience as “a horrifying experience with loud noises, disorientation, and panic.”
The incident provoked a number of immediate investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. The NTSB is currently analyzing what occurred for the door’s failure, which could be closely tied to the loose bolts found on the aircraft, while the FAA issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive requiring inspections of all 737 Max 9 aircraft with similar door configurations. This incident continued to reignite concerns about a previous incident with the 737 Max 9, which was previously grounded worldwide for nearly two years following the two fatal wrecks in 2018 and 2019. While the cause of the January 5th incident appears unrelated to the previous issues, the media still raises questions about potential manufacturing flaws.
This incident has also significantly impacted and declined the airline industry, particularly for those airliners that operate 737 Max 9s. Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its 737 Max 9’s fleet, costing them approximately one hundred and fifty million dollars, while other airlines have opened up investigations and inspections of their aircrafts. These issues may persist and decline future booking and travel demand because of the current problems the 737 Max 9s face. This incident also serves as a reminder of the importance of aviation safety and how the airline industry could be significantly impacted. The investigation into the January 5th incident is still ongoing and may take some time, but it will be necessary to find faults or make any changes required to guarantee the safety of the 737 Max and other aircrafts.
