Can Boeing aircraft still be trusted?

On the evening of January 5th local time, shortly after takeoff, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft of Alaska Airlines suddenly detached from the left center rear emergency cabin door, causing the cabin to instantly release pressure and all oxygen masks to fall off. Subsequently, the plane made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport in Oregon.

It is reported that the plane experienced an accident in the air shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. When the plane climbed to an altitude of about 16000 feet, the emergency hatch on the left side, middle and rear of the plane suddenly fell off. Subsequently, the plane made an emergency return to Portland Airport and finally landed safely, but the detached emergency cabin door and a seat next to the door were missing. At that time, the flight was carrying a total of 171 passengers and 6 crew members. Fortunately, the seat next to the detached emergency hatch was unoccupied.

On January 6th, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States ordered a temporary grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by American airlines or within the United States for safety inspections. This emergency airworthiness directive will affect approximately 171 aircraft. On the same day, Boeing issued a statement on its official website regarding the inspection of the 737MAX 9 model: "Safety is our top priority, and we deeply regret the impact this incident has had on its customers and passengers. We agree and fully support the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to immediately inspect the 737MAX 9 model with the same configuration as the affected aircraft."

After the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States ordered the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to be grounded and inspected, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Malaysia and other civil aviation authorities successively made similar requirements. According to statistics, Boeing delivered 218 737 MAX 9 aircrafts, of which American airlines have the most. In addition, airlines in Mexico, Türkiye, Panama, the United Arab Emirates and Iceland also have this type of aircraft.

As a globally popular aircraft model, the Boeing 737MAX has experienced frequent accidents in recent years. From October 2018 to March 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft experienced two crashes with Lion Air Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines within five months, resulting in a total of 346 deaths. The model subsequently grounded globally for nearly two years and obtained a go around permit from the United States in November 2020. These two air accidents have sparked severe criticism and investigation of Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States, accusing them of serious errors and improper behavior in the design, production, testing, and regulation of the aircraft, and even suspected fraud and concealment.

From the perspective of the Boeing 737 aircraft model, there have been 23 major air accidents since 2000, resulting in 2133 fatalities. In addition, there have been more than 10 accidents that have not caused fatalities. Therefore, this aircraft model has been banned from flying in many countries and airlines worldwide.

From the attitude of US regulatory agencies, it is very intriguing. In fact, during the accident crises of 2018 and 2019, the relevant agencies in the United States were actually the last regulatory agencies in the world to decide to ground relevant aircraft models. It is reported that media reports such as The New York Times have put great pressure on the US authorities, and 42 other countries have already taken strict measures to respond to the Boeing crash before the US.

In recent years, although this type of aircraft has gradually lifted the ban on go-around around the world, the quality issues of Boeing aircraft have still been frequently exposed, and the door detachment incident may once again hit Boeing hard. The Associated Press quoted aviation analyst Abulafia as saying, "Boeing was originally the world's' gold standard 'for aviation engineering technology and accuracy, but now it has fallen to the bottom."

Of particular note is that according to the standards of commercial airlines, the aircraft involved in the 5-day flight incident was actually a "new aircraft", as it was first registered in November last year and has only recorded 145 flight missions so far.

It can be said that although this accident did not cause particularly serious consequences, it is still enough to cause panic and anxiety to the global aviation industry and the public, causing serious doubts and concerns about the safety and reliability of Boeing 737 Max series aircraft and even the entire Boeing aircraft. It also shook and questioned the trust and credibility of Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States.

Many airlines and passengers have expressed on social media that they dare not take Boeing planes again, nor can they trust the Federal Aviation Administration's guarantees and so-called promises. This is a significant blow to the aviation industry in the post pandemic era and the global economic downturn.