Earlier today we reported on Alaska Airlines flight 1282, that suffered a rapid decompression shortly after takeoff from Portland Airport (PDX). Following the incident, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have grounded the Boeing 737 MAX-9 across the US.
The FAA Steps In
After the incident of Flight 1282, operator Alaska Airlines took action grounding all 63 of their Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft. The FAA and NTSB dispatched teams to Portland to aid with the investigation, alongside manufacturer Boeing.
However, just hours after Alaska took action, the FAA stepped in announcing they would issue an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) to ground all Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft operated by US airlines, or in US territory.
In a statement, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said:
“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”
What an EAD Means
An FAA emergency airworthiness directive (EAD) is a regulatory action taken to address urgent safety concerns related to aircraft, engines, propellers, or other airframe components. Unlike regular airworthiness directives (ADs), which typically undergo a more extensive notice and comment process, emergency airworthiness directives are issued without prior public comment to quickly address critical safety issues. They are typically issued when the FAA determines that an unsafe condition exists and immediate action is necessary.
The EAD to be issued for the MAX-9 will require operators to inspect the aircraft before further flight, if they do not meet the inspection cycles specified in the EAD – full details of these cycles is currently unknown. The required inspections are expected to take four to eight hours per aircraft; This means for operators such as Alaska operating a fleet of 63 aircraft, this will take 252 hours at a minimum.
The FAA stated the EAD will affect approximately 171 aircraft, out of a total of 210 aircraft according to ch-Aviation.
We’ll bring the latest updates on this announcement as we get them.
