US grounds Boeing 737 Max 9 planes after mid-air window blowout on Alaska Airlines flight
- Pilots were forced to make an emergency landing due to the incident, which left a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft that had just left Portland, Oregon
- One passenger described a ‘loud bang’ when the blowout occurred, saying a boy sitting where the window blew out had his shirt sucked off him and out of the plane
US federal officials on Saturday ordered the immediate grounding of Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.
The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft and will affect about 171 planes worldwide.
An Alaska Airlines v blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after take-off three miles (4.8km) above Oregon late on Friday, creating a gaping hole that forced the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.
No one was seriously hurt as the depressurised plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after it had departed, but the airline grounded its 65 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft until they can be inspected. The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will also investigate.
Passenger Evan Smith said a boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the window blew out and the child’s shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane.