Throughout 2024, there has been a sudden surge in abnormal and rare malfunctions of commercial jets in flight, including cases in which parts of airplanes have broken off the exteriors of planes, and engines have ignited.
Before delving into the information regarding the accidents, looking into the reasons for them occurring is crucial. According to France24, a design and manufacturing defect is usually the culprit for plane crashes or even minor accidents like a seatbelt malfunction.
The first case occurred on January 5, when an entire door panel on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 blew off amidst a flight commencing from Portland International Airport. The missing door exposed a void and the landscape thousands of feet below. Terrified passengers feared being sucked out into the pressurized air outside like a vacuum. According to abcnews, the air was so strong that some headrests in proximity to the door flew off. During this ordeal, uninjured passengers captured videos. A few minutes later, the pilot descended for an emergency landing after which an emergency medical team immediately treated injured passengers. Following the incident, Alaskan Airlines and Boeing took responsibility but received scrutiny for the control issues. They immediately inspected the plane and briefly halted the use of Boeings. Reports state that four bolts were missing from an exit door, which contributed to it detaching in mid-air. For other planes, Boeing sent airlines a manual instructing them on how to properly inspect and ensure that all bolts are secured. In the investigation, it was discovered that the set of bolts enabling the door from staying put moved vertically, according to CNN. Although this incident was alarming and could have been catastrophic, it wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last time something similar would happen.
Another case that made headlines and is still being investigated was when an engine’s cowlings (protective cover) almost fell off of a Southwest Airlines plane on April 7. According to CNBC,.
the jet panel surrounding the engine was stripped away. This could have been potentially fatal since the cowlings could have damaged an essential control surface like the flaps, ailerons, tail, and wings. Fortunately for the 135 passengers, the plane was durable enough to withstand this accident, and the pilot was able to maneuver the plane to return to Denver International Airport. According to Sasha Johnson, the vice president of Corporate Safety at United, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will enforce stricter rules and show presence while reviewing the manufacturing process.
A lesser known incident happened less than a month earlier, on March 10, when a reverse thruster fell off of a Southwest airplane. According to News10, although the part is small, it is necessary in helping planes to slow down once they touch the runway. Luckily, the sudden absence didn’t impact the trajectory of the flight, and the pilot executed an emergency landing.
Rightfully so, these incidents have raised questions on behalf of all travelers about the quality of maintenance. Although some may feel that Boeing airlines are unsafe due to the prevalence of incidents making headlines, this is generally untrue. In the USA, Boeing planes make up about 60% of commercial flights. This means that avoiding traveling by plane isn’t a reasonable solution, as these extremely rare cases occur in small proportion to the number of airplanes in the fleets of all US carriers, according to France24.
