AARP Hearing Center
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) grounding of many Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in the U.S. after a terrifying in-flight incident has air travelers wondering how to stay safe in an emergency.
On Jan. 5, 2024, the left door plug of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 dislodged from its hinges and blew off the airplane, leaving a gaping hole that caused the jet to depressurize and its oxygen masks to deploy. All 171 passengers and six crew on the plane survived, though by all accounts, the ordeal was terrifying. The door plug, along with a passenger’s cellphone, were found in Portland, Oregon, neighborhoods after they fell from 16,000 feet.
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Though several passengers experienced injuries, none were life-threatening. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
The FAA grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft that have a mid-cabin door plug installed. In the U.S., Alaska Airlines and United Airlines fly this plane configuration. In a statement to AARP, United, which has 79 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, said the airline has “found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug — for example, bolts that needed additional tightening.” Alaska and United canceled flights because of the Max 9 grounding. The Associated Press reported that United said it canceled 170 flights Tuesday, while Alaska said it canceled 109 flights. On Wednesday, Alaska canceled all flights on 737 Max 9 planes through Jan. 13, which the airline says is 110 to 150 flights a day.
Incidents like this month’s are jarring and scary. The decompression in the cabin of Flight 1282 ripped a teen’s shirt off him. It’s OK to be scared about flying.
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To help stem fear, there are actions you, as a passenger, can take.
Be prepared
Professor Anthony Brickhouse teaches aerospace safety with an emphasis on air crash survivability at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, one of the top five aerospace engineering schools in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. He instructs his students — many of whom will enter the aviation field — about various ways to survive an in-flight incident or, in the worst-case scenario, a plane crash. He says being properly prepared starts before you even get to the airport.
“Passengers should seriously consider what they’re wearing,” Brickhouse says, donning an Embry-Riddle polo shirt. “This shirt that I have on: It feels absolutely amazing. But it’s polyester. It’s synthetic, and synthetic fibers could be really bad in a fire situation. So I recommend that passengers consider wearing cotton or natural fiber.”