The US airline regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has ordered the grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jets after part of one plane fell off during an Alaska Airlines flight.

 

The temporary grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory would affect 171 planes worldwide.

 

“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”

 

The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) requires operators to inspect affected aircraft before further flight. The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft, it said.

 

"Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers. We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane. In addition, a Boeing technical team is supporting the NTSB's investigation into last night's event. We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers," a Boeing statement said.

 

On Friday the Alaska Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing after take-off from the US state of Oregon.

 

The Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, had reached 16,000ft (4,876m) when it began its emergency descent, according to flight tracking data. The airline, carrying 177 passengers and crew, landed safely back in Portland.

 

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the incident, confirmed on Saturday that nobody had been sitting next to the affected section.

 

"We are very, very fortunate here that this didn't end up in something more tragic," Jennifer Homendy said.

 

She added that investigators believed the door that came off the plane was now in the Cedar Hills neighbourhood in Portland and urged anyone who found it to contact local police.