The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered a temporary grounding of dozens of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections, a day after a piece of the aircraft blew out in the middle of an Alaska Airlines flight.
The FAA's emergency airworthiness directive will affect about 171 planes worldwide and applies to U.S. airlines and carriers operating in U.S. territory, the agency said.
No serious injuries were reported on the flight, according to federal safety officials.
"Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB's investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement.
The FAA has heavily scrutinized the Boeing 737 Max since two fatal crashes grounded the jetliner worldwide almost five years ago.
Before the FAA issued its directive, Alaska Airlines earlier said it would ground its fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.
Alaska said on Saturday afternoon that of the 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes in its fleet, 18 "had in-depth and thorough plug door inspections performed as part of a recent heavy maintenance visit.". »
