Boeing 737 MAX Panel Rips Off Mid Flight, Makes Emergency Landing

"We need to revisit internal communications from Boeing employees that pointed out Max jets were "designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys."

As I was working on my Saturday Strip I noticed this less than comforting headline from the New York Post: Alaska Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Window Blows out Mid Flight as Child Who Sat Near Hole Loses Shirt. That sounds terrifying and I am grateful that nobody was seriously hurt. But the photos do not look at all like it was just a blown out window:

That’s a teensy bit more terrifying. Thankfully the plane was only at 16,000 feet or so when it happened so, with oxygen masks deployed, nobody frooze to death or blacked out from extreme depressurization. Miraculously, nobody was sucked out of the plane either. Apparently nobody was seated in the window closest to where it happened, as explained on this passenger video on formally twitter.

So what happened here?

According to the New York Post:

“An Alaska Airlines flight turned into a nightmare when a section of the plane blew out mid-flight, reportedly sucking out passengers’ belongings and forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Portland.

The Ontario, California-bound plane departed Portland International Airport at 4:52 p.m. Friday but returned just 35 minutes later following the terrifying ordeal, according to data from flight tracking website Flight Aware.

Shortly after takeoff, the flight, which had 171 passengers and 6 crew members aboard, “experienced an incident,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement, without divulging further.

Passengers described the chaos as people’s cell phones and belongings were sucked out of the gaping hole in the plane.

One passenger told KPTV that a child had to be held down in his seat by his mother.”

This note in the Post article was also less than comforting:

“The Boeing 737-9 Max was recently built, obtaining its airworthiness certificate on Oct. 25., 2023, FAA registry records indicate.

Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its entire fleet of the Boeing 737-9 late Friday.”

The article failed to give any explanation for what might have caused this ordeal to happen to begin with. I had to scroll to the comments section for a technical assessment:

William J. Candee

8 hours ago

“This was a plugged exit door. (That's a space in the fuselage where you could have put an exit door, but Boeing plugs it for you because you don't need it in a lower-density seat configuration.) You can see on some photos where the attachment points are still in the corners of the opening. Seems like bolts weren't properly-tightened, or sheared off under the stress of pressurizing and depressurizing. The aircraft has only been in service a couple of months. If Alaska didn't mess with that opening, then it's a manufacturing defect, which will be a nightmare for Boeing. This is the kind of thing that should never, ever, ever happen in a well-run manufacturing facility. Ever. They're gonna have a real problem.”

The Max line has been plagued for years with problems. I was on one a few weeks ago and tried not to be too nervous about that. It’s not just pilots dying suddenly or becoming incapacitated (brought to you by Pfizer) which is a worry. I’m glad the Zerohedge article noted the make of the plane:

“Boeing said it was briefed on the incident and was "working to gather more information." 

The door incident came weeks after Boeing reported 737 Max jets had yet another quality control issue: "A possible loose bolt in the rudder control system." 

Max jets have faced several major issues related to different parts and systems. The most notable defect was MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System), which led to two separate crashes, killing a combined 346 people.

Several months ago, fuselage supplier Spirit was found to have improperly drilled holes in the aft pressure bulkhead. 

We need to revisit internal communications from Boeing employees that pointed out Max jets were "designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys." 

The latest incident of a door detaching mid-flight certainly does not instill confidence in this troubled aircraft.”

I’m not sure if this bizarre incident is going to become par for the course of end stage predatory global capitalism. The science has already been corrupted beyond redemption as it regards human health and well being. Those STEM fields however I hold in very high regard. Being able to get from point A to point B safely and reliably is a major building block for the modern world.

Perhaps this near miss is just another sign that it is but by the Grace of God that we live.

What do you all think?

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