The U.S. authorities have appealed for public help in finding a missing panel that blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a flight from Portland to Ontario, forcing pilots to turn back and land safely.
The door plug, a panel put in place of an additional emergency exit, tore off the left side of an Alaska Airlines jet which was then grounded.
It is believed to have landed somewhere in the western suburbs of Portland but has not yet been found. The incident has put Boeing back under scrutiny as it awaits certification of its smaller MAX 7 as well as the larger MAX 10.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident, and it is too early to determine the cause of the blowout.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded 171 Boeing jets installed with the same panel after the emergency landing.
The vast majority of these jets used in the United States are operated by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, while Turkish Airlines, Panama’s Copa Airlines, and Aeromexico have also grounded their jets for inspections.
