The FAA Formally Opens Official Investigation into Boeing’s 737 MAX 9s

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has officially opened an investigation into last week’s Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident.

“This incident should have never happened and it cannot happen again. FAA formally notified Boeing that it is conducting an investigation to determine if Boeing failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations,” the FAA said on Thursday.

In a letter to Boeing on Thursday, the FAA officially gave notice of the investigation, writing that “Boeing may have failed to ensure its completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in accordance with quality system inspection and test procedures.”

The notice was a formality for the FAA—the expectation has been that the FAA would eventually open a formal investigation ever since last Friday’s incident with Flight 1282. Shortly after the flight, which was forced to return to Portland International Airport after a “plug” type passenger door blew off the plane, the FAA grounded the jets.  

Carriers with a significant number of 787 MAX 9s in their fleet, which is mainly Alaska Airlines and United Airlines in North America, have been canceling flights daily due to the groundings. The FAA on Thursday said that there is currently no timetable for their return to service, meaning it’s likely those cancellations persist for the time being.

“The safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning the Boeing 737-9 Max to service,” the FAA said.