US Agency Investigates Passenger Jet Incident
2024-01-09
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Officials have recovered a part of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max passenger jet that blew off during a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California on Friday.
2The plane was minutes into the flight and was able to return to the Portland airport.
3All 171 people and six crew members were unharmed in the incident.
4The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered that all 737 MAX aircraft be grounded on Saturday.
5The emergency order affected all 737 MAX 9 planes around the world.
6Reports say the part that failed was called a panel or "door plug."
7U.S. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said a schoolteacher found the part in a Portland neighborhood on Sunday.
8The investigation into the incident is likely to last months.
9The 737 MAX 9 aircraft has several different designs.
10One can seat more than 200 passengers.
11This version needs to have two extra exits to meet safety rules which require all passengers to be able to escape the aircraft in 90 seconds in case of an emergency.
12However, the Alaska Airlines plane has fewer than 180 seats.
13This version of the 737 MAX 9 is not required to have the extra exits.
14As a result, the plane has a panel, or permanent door plug, over the area on the plane's body that would normally have a door.
15Some other versions of Boeing 737s also have door plugs.
16The Associated Press reports that a company called Spirit AeroSystems installed door plugs on 737 MAX 9s, including the Alaska Airlines plane.
17Alaska Airlines has grounded all 65 of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
18They are to be inspected and to undergo maintenance.
19Some of the planes were still in service on Saturday,
20but they were grounded after the FAA ordered all operators of MAX 9s to carry out inspections.
21Alaska Airlines said it canceled 170 flights on Sunday.
22By early Monday, 20 percent of the carrier's flights were canceled, the AP reported.
23United Airlines is the world's biggest operator of MAX 9 planes.
24It grounded all 79 of its planes.
25The two airlines are the only U.S. passenger airlines that operate the planes.
26The AP says six other airlines also operate the Boeing aircraft. There are 215 of the planes in service around the world.
27U.S. officials have noted that air travel remains very safe.
28There has not been a deadly crash of a U.S. airliner since 2009.
29However, the FAA held a big safety meeting last year after a series of incidents.
30The Alaska Airlines incident again brought attention to the 737 MAX aircraft.
31Aviation officials grounded MAX 8 aircraft around the world for nearly two years after crashes in 2018 and 2019.
32The 737 MAX 8 is a little smaller than the MAX 9.
33Anthony Brickhouse is a professor of aviation safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.
34He said it is too soon to know if the incident is the result of a problem with the MAX 9.
35He said government officials and airlines will confirm that the planes are safe before returning them to service.
36"When passengers board a flight, they should feel confident that the aircraft they are flying on is safe," Brickhouse said.
37After the accident, Boeing released a statement saying it regretted the effects "this event has had on our customers and their passengers."
38It said it supported the FAA's decision and was assisting investigators.
39I'm Mario Ritter Jr.
1Officials have recovered a part of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max passenger jet that blew off during a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California on Friday. 2The plane was minutes into the flight and was able to return to the Portland airport. All 171 people and six crew members were unharmed in the incident. 3The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered that all 737 MAX aircraft be grounded on Saturday. The emergency order affected all 737 MAX 9 planes around the world. 4Reports say the part that failed was called a panel or "door plug." U.S. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said a schoolteacher found the part in a Portland neighborhood on Sunday. 5The investigation into the incident is likely to last months. 6What part failed? 7The 737 MAX 9 aircraft has several different designs. One can seat more than 200 passengers. This version needs to have two extra exits to meet safety rules which require all passengers to be able to escape the aircraft in 90 seconds in case of an emergency. 8However, the Alaska Airlines plane has fewer than 180 seats. This version of the 737 MAX 9 is not required to have the extra exits. As a result, the plane has a panel, or permanent door plug, over the area on the plane's body that would normally have a door. Some other versions of Boeing 737s also have door plugs. 9The Associated Press reports that a company called Spirit AeroSystems installed door plugs on 737 MAX 9s, including the Alaska Airlines plane. 10What are airlines doing? 11Alaska Airlines has grounded all 65 of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft. They are to be inspected and to undergo maintenance. Some of the planes were still in service on Saturday, but they were grounded after the FAA ordered all operators of MAX 9s to carry out inspections. 12Alaska Airlines said it canceled 170 flights on Sunday. By early Monday, 20 percent of the carrier's flights were canceled, the AP reported. 13United Airlines is the world's biggest operator of MAX 9 planes. It grounded all 79 of its planes. The two airlines are the only U.S. passenger airlines that operate the planes. 14The AP says six other airlines also operate the Boeing aircraft. There are 215 of the planes in service around the world. 15Air travel safety 16U.S. officials have noted that air travel remains very safe. There has not been a deadly crash of a U.S. airliner since 2009. However, the FAA held a big safety meeting last year after a series of incidents. 17The Alaska Airlines incident again brought attention to the 737 MAX aircraft. Aviation officials grounded MAX 8 aircraft around the world for nearly two years after crashes in 2018 and 2019. The 737 MAX 8 is a little smaller than the MAX 9. 18Anthony Brickhouse is a professor of aviation safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. He said it is too soon to know if the incident is the result of a problem with the MAX 9. He said government officials and airlines will confirm that the planes are safe before returning them to service. 19"When passengers board a flight, they should feel confident that the aircraft they are flying on is safe," Brickhouse said. 20After the accident, Boeing released a statement saying it regretted the effects "this event has had on our customers and their passengers." 21It said it supported the FAA's decision and was assisting investigators. 22I'm Mario Ritter Jr. 23Mario Ritter adapted this story for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters sources. 24________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26component -n. a part of a system or a machine 27install -v. to put something in a machine in place so that it can be used correctly 28maintenance -n. to keep something such as a machine in good working condition 29regret -v. to wish something did not happen; to feel sorry that something was done 30We want to hear from you. 31Our comment policy is here.