The plane is not one of Boeing’s 737 MAX 9s that were in the spotlight after the Alaska Airlines explosion.
An All Nippon Airways (ANA) domestic flight was forced to return to its departure airport after a crack was discovered in the cockpit window of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft mid-air.
An airline spokesperson said Saturday that Flight 1182 was headed to Japan’s Toyama Airport, but it was returned to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport after cracks were discovered in the outermost layer of the four-layer window surrounding the cockpit.
No injuries were reported among the 59 passengers and six crew members, the airline added.
“The crack did not affect flight control or pressurization,” an ANA spokesperson said.
This is the second Boeing accident in the past week.
Although this ANA plane is also a 737, it is not Boeing’s 737 MAX 9, which has been in the spotlight ever since an Alaska Airlines flight exploded last Saturday, leaving a large hole in the side of its fuselage.
The Alaska flight also landed safely with all 174 passengers and six crew members on board, but flight data showed the plane climbed to 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) before returning to Portland International Airport.
Alaska Airlines announced that it will suspend operations of its 737-9 aircraft.
The plane is “landing”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Friday that it will continue to ground all 737 MAX 9 aircraft until Boeing provides more data in the wake of the catastrophic Alaska Airlines crash.
“For the safety of American travelers, the FAA is grounding the Boeing 737-9 MAX until extensive inspection and maintenance is performed and inspection data is reviewed,” the FAA said in a statement.
Regulators have also launched a safety investigation into the incident. This is the first major in-flight safety issue on a Boeing plane since the fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that led to the plane’s long grounding.
“We are working to ensure this never happens again,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said.
“Our only concern is the safety of American travelers, and the Boeing 737-9 MAX will not return to the skies until we are completely satisfied that it is safe.”
in statement On Friday, Boeing welcomed the FAA’s announcement and said it would “cooperate fully and transparently.”
“We support any action that strengthens quality and safety and are taking action across our entire production system.”
Boeing 737 Max jets have been grounded around the world in the past. In October 2018, there was a crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people, and five months later, there was another crash in Ethiopia that killed 157 people, resulting in the aircraft not being allowed to fly for almost two years.
The plane was cleared to fly again after Boeing improved the automatic flight control system that had malfunctioned in both crashes.
