Seattle-based 
Alaska Airlines and Boeing made headlines last January when a Boeing 737 MAX 9 took off from Portland, and its door plug blew out during ascent. The aircraft involved, registration N704AL, has since been returned to Boeing by Alaska Airlines, with Boeing now the formal owner. Instead, Alaska Airlines expects to replace it with the Boeing 737 MAX 10.
The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is yet to receive certification, and is set to compete directly with the Airbus A321neo. 
Boeing is still working on resolving the issue with the engines’ anti-ice system, which is a contributing factor to the aircraft’s certification delays. It is now expected that the MAX 10 will not enter commercial service until at least 2026, but Alaska Airlines won’t be the first recipient.
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282
Alaska Airlines had scheduled its usual domestic passenger flight, from Portland International Airport (PDX), Oregon, to Ontario International Airport (ONT), California, on January 5, 2024. The flight, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 9, held registration N704AL, serial number 67501, and had completed around 510 total flight hours across 154 flights.
The aircraft took off from PDX with 171 passengers and six crew onboard to complete the flight, and during ascent, its door plug blew near the rear. Fortunately, all passengers survived the incident, with just three receiving minor injuries that were treated upon landing. The incident launched an investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and required a short grounding of the MAX 9. The investigation noted that the plug had been installed with no bolts before the delivery of the plane from the manufacturer, Boeing.
The door plug, which is manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems in its Malaysian-based plant, was delivered to Spirit’s Wichita facility in May 2023, where it was assembled. This was then transported to Boeing via train in August later that year. Records show that when it arrived at Boeing, it was already identified that there were damaged rivets on the fuselage near the door plugs. This was subsequently removed so Spirit could repair this issue, but when it was reinstalled, it had not been bolted into place.
The Benefits Of The MAX 10
The Boeing 737 MAX 10 was first developed following loyal carriers Korean Air and 
United Airlines, suggesting the stretch of the MAX 9 in a bid to compete with the Airbus A321neo. This came as the A321neo had outsold the MAX 9 at almost five to one. The MAX 10 has stronger wings and telescopic landing gear.
The Boeing board of directors granted permission in October 2016 to explore the stretched variant. The MAX 10 was officially launched in June 2017 and has since received orders from Air India Express, Akasa Air, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Donghai Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Iraqi Airways, Lion Air, Luxair, Okay Airways, Pegasus Airlines, Ryanair, Skymark Airlines, SkyUp Airlines, SunExpress, TUI Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Australia, and WestJet.
The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is designed to transport up to 204 passengers in a two-class layout, or 230 when configured for all economy. The length of the aircraft is 143 feet, eight inches (43.79 m), and has a wingspan of 117 feet, 10 inches (35.92 m). The aircraft will be powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines and has a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,700 km).
The Aftermath Of Flight 1282
In the hours following the incident of AS 1282, the Seattle-based carrier was quick to ground all of its MAX 9 fleet. The airline kept these grounded overnight, with initial plans to return them to service if they had had their door plugs checked. However, the FAA had other plans, issuing an Emergency Airworthiness Directive that was to ground all 737 MAX 9 aircraft, pending inspections and corrective actions where required, if they were fitted with a mid-cabin door plug.
This EAD impacted Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Copa Airlines with operations to and from the United States. Further afield, Turkish Airlines and Lion Air grounded their fleets pending inspections. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) also took steps to direct MAX 9 groundings, but no airlines operating within the jurisdiction operated the MAX 9 with the same configuration.
Fortunately, for those onboard the flight, there were no reported serious injuries, with three encountering minor injuries that were treated by paramedics on landing. The seat located next to the door plug 26A was vacant during the flight; however, there were reports of a passenger in row 25, having his shirt ripped off and flying out of the aircraft mid-flight.
The NTSB Investigation
The NTSB conducted a thorough investigation, led by Jennifer Homendy, NTSB Chair, and involved the FAA, Alaska Airlines, ALPA, Association of Flight Attendants – CWA, Boeing, Spirit Aerosystems, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The incident identified that the aircraft had its cabin pressurization indicator auto fail three times leading up to the incident. This indicated that the cabin pressurization controller was disabled due to a fault condition. This alerts the crew to this change in pressurization, but no intervention is usually required.
The NTSB assessment found that the door plug stop pads and fittings were intact, and the plug had moved upwards during flight to enable the eventual ejection from the aircraft. The upper fittings were fractured, noting that the four retention bolts were missing. Throughout a continued investigation, the NTSB released its final report, noting that the probable cause of the incident was the blowout of the door plug, and attributed this to the failure of American plane manufacturer Boeing to adequately oversee its factory workers and safety measures. The aircraft details are noted below.
|
Aircraft Registration |
N704AL |
|---|---|
|
Serial Number (MSN) |
67501 |
|
First Flight Date |
15/10/2023 |
|
Delivery Date |
31/10/2023 |
|
Return To Boeing |
27/04/2024 |
|
Engines |
Two x CFMI LEAP |
The aircraft was repurchased by Boeing and returned to the plane manufacturer on April 27, 2024, and has since remained stored. In its place, Alaska Airlines was provided a full replacement, which is expected to be the Boeing 737 MAX 10, which it is still awaiting certification and eventual delivery.
Why Did Alaska Airlines Return N704AL?
In June 2024, Alaska Airlines entered into a purchase agreement with Boeing for the manufacturer to take back the damaged aircraft. This was seen as a product defect by Alaska, and they wanted the manufacturer to provide a full replacement. This was a way for the airline to distance itself from the incident and demonstrate to its loyal customers that it was not at fault for the incident.
In a report by Newsweek, it was widely believed that it was unlikely that Alaska Airlines paid full price for this MAX 10, seeing the trade-up to the larger aircraft as a form of compensation from Boeing. The plane maker has already paid more than $160 million in compensation for the incident, which was to cover airline losses that were attributed to the grounding and eventual return of this aircraft to its fleet.
The door plug was found in the backyard of a residential home in Cedar Mill, Oregon, and two mobile phones were also located by other members of the public, one being on the side of the road, and another found in a resident’s backyard. Alaska Airlines canceled between 110 and 150 flights per day following the aircraft grounding, and the FAA subsequently approved a new inspection process, which was able to clear all affected 737 MAX 9 for commercial service.
Fleet Aspirations At Alaska Airlines
The Alaska fleet is primarily made up of all Boeing 737 aircraft, with smaller airplanes operated through its subsidiaries Horizon Air and SkyWest. Through the carrier’s merger with Hawaiian Airlines, for the first time, widebody planes were introduced to its larger fleet, and it has seen the adoption of HA aircraft and crew to operate new routes from Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA), such as Seattle – Anchorage, Seattle – Tokyo, and Seattle – Seoul. Overall, Alaska Airlines operates a fleet of 331 active aircraft, with 96 on order.
Currently, as per data from ch-aviation, AS plans to obtain an additional 12 Boeing 737 MAX 8, which will be configured to transport up to 161 passengers across its mixed cabin configuration. An additional 63 MAX 10 are on order, which will carry up to 190 passengers, with deliveries now not expected until late 2026 or even into 2027. The airline’s regional fleet, operated by SkyWest and Horizon, is also expecting an additional four new Embraer 175, well-suited for regional operations. The airline’s most popular variant remains the Boeing 737 MAX 9, of which the carrier operates 80; these are configured in two different densities, seating up to 178 passengers across three classes.
New widebody planes are also en route, with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, expected to have four planes transferred from Hawaiian Airlines to fuel the airline’s long-haul ambitions. An additional five 787-10 will be converted from the original HA order, and both the new Dreamliner variants are set to feature a striking new livery and onboard experience, including Premium economy.
The airline also has a modest cargo fleet, made up of three Boeing 737-700F and two 737-800F airplanes. Historically, the carrier has operated a range of Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Convair, Lockheed Martin, and McDonnell Douglas airplanes; however, as of now, its mainline fleet is made up solely of Boeing aircraft.
