Alaska Airlines plane had warnings days before mid-air blowout

Alaska Airlines had imposed restrictions on the Boeing aircraft involved in a dramatic mid-air blowout following pressurisation warnings in the days leading up to Friday's incident, according to investigators. The aircraft had been prohibited from undertaking long-haul flights over water, stated Jennifer Homendy of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB has also reported that the missing section of the aircraft has been located - in the backyard of a teacher in Portland. Fortunately, no one was injured in Friday's incident.

After losing a portion of its fuselage, the aircraft - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - executed a safe emergency landing by returning to its departure city, Portland. The flight, destined for Ontario, California, had 177 passengers and crew on board. Currently, 171 aircraft of the same model remain grounded by the US regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as safety inspections are ongoing. Prior to the FAA's intervention on Saturday, Alaska Airlines had briefly returned some of its Max 9s to service, stating that it had found 'no concerning findings'.

During a press conference, Ms Homendy revealed that pilots had reported pressurisation warning lights on three previous flights undertaken by the specific Alaska Airlines Max 9 involved in the incident. The decision to restrict lengthy flights over water was made so that the aircraft 'could return very quickly to an airport' in the event the warnings occurred again, added the NTSB chief. It remains unclear whether there is a connection between the issues that triggered those warnings and the issue that caused the blowout on 5 January. 'An additional maintenance check' was requested but 'not completed' prior to the incident, Ms Homendy stated. The aircraft was brand new, having been delivered to Alaska Airlines in October - at which time it was deemed airworthy by the FAA.