US FAA launches probe of Boeing 737 MAX 9 after mid-air panel incident

The US Federal Aviation Administration is launching a formal investigation into the Boeing 737 MAX 9 after a cabin panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight last week in mid-air, forcing an emergency landing, the regulator said on Thursday.

The FAA on Saturday grounded 171 Boeing MAX jets with the same panel pending safety inspections. Most are operated by US carriers Alaska Airlines and United Airlines.

The incident was the latest in a series of events that have shaken confidence in the aircraft manufacturer.

Talks between Boeing, the FAA and airlines on revised inspection and maintenance instructions from Boeing that the regulator must approve before airlines can resume flying the planes ended for the day on Thursday without agreement, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

The FAA said the Alaska Airlines incident "should have never happened and it cannot happen again".

The agency told Boeing in a letter dated Wednesday that the investigation was to determine if the planemaker had failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation under FAA rules. The agency cited "additional discrepancies" in other 737 MAX 9 planes.

"We will cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA and the NTSB on their investigations," Boeing said in a statement.

BOEING 'MISTAKE'

Alaska Airlines and United said on Monday they had found loose parts on multiple grounded aircraft during preliminary checks, raising new concerns about how Boeing's best-selling jet family is manufactured.

The two carriers have cancelled hundreds of flights since Saturday with the MAX 9 planes grounded, including another 230 by United and 152 by Alaska Airlines for Friday.

A growing number of US lawmakers expressed broader concerns about the FAA and Boeing and questions about the planemaker's manufacturing quality control.

"Given the previous tragic crashes of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, we are deeply concerned that the loose bolts represent a systemic issue with Boeing’s capabilities to manufacture safe airplanes," Senators Ed Markey, JD Vance and Peter Welch wrote to Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun.

Reuters reported on Tuesday the planemaker told staff the findings were being treated as a "quality control issue" and checks were under way at Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems.

Calhoun told CNBC on Wednesday that a "quality escape" was at issue that led to the MAX 9 being in the air that suffered the cabin blowout.

In an internal speech to staff on Tuesday, Calhoun said: "We’re going to approach this number one acknowledging our mistake."

The Stritmatter law firm filed a class-action lawsuit against Boeing on Thursday in King County, Washington on behalf of passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight, citing Calhoun's admission of Boeing's "mistake" in connection with the MAX 9.

Daniel Laurence, an attorney for the passengers, said the flight "has caused economic, physical and ongoing emotional consequences." Boeing declined to comment.

More travellers are checking the model of an aircraft before booking flights after the Alaska Airlines incident, several travel operators said.