Alaska Airlines flight: Boeing 737 had warning lights on flights days before blowout

A warning light came on in the days leading up to the Alaska Airlines incident where the window blew out minutes after take-off, a US official has revealed. At the time of the incident the plane had been restricted from making flights to Hawaii, after a warning light that could have indicated a pressurisation problem lit up on three different flights.

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said Alaska Airlines decided to restrict the aircraft from long flights over water so the plane "could return very quickly to an airport" if the warning light reappeared. Ms Homendy added that the pressurisation light could be unrelated to the incident that occurred on Friday (5 January).

On Friday the plug covering an unused exit door blew off the Boeing 737 Max 9 as it took off over Oregon. Passengers had to cling on and reportedly caused a t-shirt to tear off from a child’s back. 

The warning light had come on during three previous flights on 7 December, 3 and 4 January. Ms Homendy said she did not have all the details regarding the 7 December but specified the light came on during a flight on 3 and 4 January after the plane had landed.

Alaska Airlines said the aircraft pressurisation system write-ups were typical in commercial aviation operations with large planes. The airline said "in every case, the write up was fully evaluated and resolved per approved maintenance procedures and in full compliance with all applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations." The airline added it has an internal policy to restrict aircraft with multiple maintenance write-ups on some systems from long flights over water that was not required by the FAA.

The lost door plug was found yesterday (Sunday 7 January) near Portland, Oregon, in the garden of a teacher named Bob. Investigators will examine the plug for signs of how it broke free.

The FAA ordered the grounding of the affected fleet of Boeing MAX 9 planes, including those operated by other carriers including United Airlines. It said the fleet would remain grounded until the regulator was satisfied they were safe. Alaska Airlines cancelled 170 flights on Sunday and a further 60 today (Monday 8 January).