Boeing 737 Max's terrifying history including crashes and fears they cut corners
The Alaska Airlines window blowout incident is only the latest added to Boeing's headaches, as the series the airplane involved belongs to has previously encountered two fatal crashes, regulatory scrutiny, and various technical problems.
An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) above Oregon late Friday, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 171 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks. No one was seriously hurt as the depressurized plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after departure.
The Boeing 737 Max 9 plane involved is brand-new - it began carrying passengers in November and has made only 145 flights, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. But Boeing's record with 737s is far from reassuring.
READ MORE: 171 Boeing planes grounded after Alaska Airlines window blow-out as 737-9 Max 9s probed
The damaged part of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, Flight 1282 (AP)
Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft parked at Southern California Logistics Airport (Getty Images)The Max - there are currently three versions: the 8, 9 and 10, which differ mainly in size - is the newest version of Boeing's venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane frequently used on US domestic flights.
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More than a decade ago, Boeing considered designing and building an entirely new plane to replace the 737. But afraid of losing sales to European rival Airbus, which was marketing a more fuel-efficient version of its similarly sized A320, Boeing decided to take the shorter path of tweaking the 737 - and the Max was born.
A Max 8 jet operated by Lion Air crashed in Indonesia in 2018, and an Ethiopian Airlines Max 8 crashed in 2019. Regulators around the world grounded the planes for nearly two years while Boeing changed an automated flight control system implicated in the crashes.
Passengers sat near the damage on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, Flight 1282 (AP)For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
Federal prosecutors and Congress questioned whether Boeing had cut corners in its rush to get the Max approved quickly, and with a minimum of training required for pilots. In 2021, Boeing settled a criminal investigation by agreeing to pay $2.5 billion, including a $244 million fine. The company blamed two relatively low-level employees for deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration about flaws in the flight-control system.
Boeing has estimated in financial reports that fallout from the two fatal crashes has cost it more than $20 billion. It has reached confidential settlements with most of the families of passengers who died in the crashes.
The tragedies of 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people, as well as how Boeing handled them have been captured in the Netflix documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. After a pause following the crashes, airlines resumed buying the Max. But the plane has been plagued by problems unrelated to Friday's blowout.
Questions about components from suppliers have held up deliveries at times. Last year, the FAA told pilots to limit use of an anti-ice system on the Max in dry conditions because of concern that inlets around the engines could overheat and break away, possibly striking the plane. And in December, Boeing told airlines to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder-control system.
A passenger on a Southwest Airlines jet was killed in 2018 when a piece of engine housing blew off and shattered the window she was sitting next to. However, that incident involved an earlier version of the Boeing 737, not a Max.
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