A day after a door panel of an Alaska Airlines aircraft came loose during mid-flight, the United States Federal Aviation Authority has grounded 171 similar Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Meanwhile other regulators have adopted FAA order and Turkish Airlines has grounded its 5 aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States has announced that specific Boeing 737-9 aircraft would be grounded around the United States after an Alaska Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after the cabin became depressurised as one of its door panels came loose and fell off during a flight.

The US aviation regulator has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) that will require all airlines in the US and its territories to thoroughly inspect each of the approximately 171 impacted aircraft before being permitted to fly again. The required inspections are expected to take four to eight hours per plane.

“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight. Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282,” says FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker.

Alaska Flight 1282 departed from Portland, Oregon, on Friday for a journey to Ontario, California, with six crew members and 171 passengers onboard before being forced to make an emergency landing back in Portland.

The pilots operating the flight reported that the cabin became depressurised due to a door panel that was not being used ripped off during the trip, leaving a large hole in the side of the aircraft.

 According to experts, the damaged area was a “plug,” a spot in the “fuselage shaped like a door that is not designed to open, even when the aircraft is on the ground. They could be converted to doors if the airline needs an extra boarding door.

As a result, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched an investigation into the incident, with Boeing officials saying the company compiled a technical team to help with the investigation.

Alaska Airlines had already grounded its entire fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft, with other airlines flying the impacted planes following suit before the FAA mandate was issued.

Meanwhile, European and British aviation regulators have also adopted the FAA guidance and Turkish Airlines says it has suo motu grounded the five similar Boeing 737-9 aircraft that it has in its fleet.

In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered all airlines to carry out inspection of emergency exits on their Boeing 737-8 fleet also.