On January 10th, it was reported that after the Alaska aviation accident, Boeing CEO David Calhoun said in a speech to employees on Tuesday, "Our first step is to admit our mistakes. We will handle every step in a 100% and completely transparent manner." Calhoun said that Boeing engineers are inspecting the embedded hatch found on Monday, looking for clues to the cause of the malfunction.
On the evening of January 5th local time, shortly after takeoff, a 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines suddenly detached its left center and rear emergency hatch, causing the cabin to instantly release pressure and all oxygen masks to fall off. Subsequently, the plane made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport in Oregon. On January 6th, the FAA ordered a temporary suspension of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by American airlines or within the United States for safety checks. This emergency airworthiness directive will affect approximately 171 aircraft. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines both stated that they found loose components in other Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft during inspections of grounded fleets.