Does Boeing Door Plug Blowout Make You Hesitant To Fly? [Flightmares]

ACROSS AMERICA — What passenger aboard a Boeing 737 Max 9 flight from Portland, Oregon, last week could have predicted that an important part of the aircraft would violently blow out and fall from the sky?

Their only warning of the mid-flight fuselage blowout on Jan. 5 was an unnerving “boom.” Then, according to reports, a roaring wind filled the cabin, creating a vacuum 3 miles in the air so strong that it sucked the shirt off a teenager’s back and twisted and mangled seats near the missing door plug.

A tragedy was averted in this case, but subsequent inspections of Max 9 jetliners grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration and used by both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines revealed loose bolts and other installation issues weren’t uncommon

Do this incident and inspectors’ findings make you less comfortable or less likely to fly? Do you assume aircraft are safe and have passed rigorous inspections? Has your perception that planes are safe changed? Also, is there anything airlines can do to reassure you the aircraft is safe?

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About Flightmares

Flightmares is an exclusive Patch feature on flight etiquette — and readers provide the answers. It will appear monthly on Patch. If you have a topic you'd like for us to consider, email [email protected] with “Flightmares” as the subject line.

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