Investigations into a major incident involving a fuselage panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft have refocused attention on a crucial part called the ‘plug’ that is located close to the emergency exit. The frightening incident, which resulted in a sudden loss of cabin pressure, happened just seven minutes after departure from Portland, Oregon. Six crew members and 171 passengers managed to escape unharmed despite the mayhem. Alaska Airlines swiftly grounded all 65 of its Max 9 aircraft in response to allow for extensive maintenance and inspections.

Investigations further found that the blown-out panel was connected to the ‘plug’ that covered an emergency escape that was not being used. The plugs on most Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft are similar. These aircraft were temporarily grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) so that the door plug area could be inspected. An extensive investigation was launched by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with particular attention paid to the paneled-over exit door that came loose during the event.

The Alaska Airlines Max 9 caused some concern because on three separate flights, it had been showing warning lights that would indicate a pressurization issue. The airline restricted the aircraft’s usage for flights over water in order to reduce dangers, stressing that passengers should promptly return to an airport in the event that the warning light resurfaced. The NTSB’s Jennifer Homendy advised prudence, pointing out that the pressurization light might not be connected to the fuselage event.

Alaska Airlines grounded its entire Max 9 fleet due to safety concerns, which resulted in the cancelation of multiple flights that affected thousands of customers. The largest Max 9 operator in the world, United Airlines, grounded its 79 aircraft as well in order to get more information on the inspection procedures before putting them back into service. Similar grounding decisions were made for other carriers that operated Max 9 aircraft, such as Copa carriers, Aeromexico, Turkish Airlines, Icelandair, flydubai, and SCAT Airlines.

The tragedy has rekindled conversations about Boeing’s Max aircraft, namely the Max 9 and Max 8 models, and their level of safety. Although there have been problems with the Max series in the past, such as the grounding of Max 8 aircraft for over two years following crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, the latest blowout seems to be an extremely uncommon occurrence in aviation history. Boeing released a statement expressing remorse for the event, endorsing the FAA’s decision to conduct rapid inspections and offering technical support to the investigators. However, officials were not made available for interviews.