The Boeing 737 MAX, a plane which has already suffered repeated crashes and damage

The door which tore off in mid-flight on a 737 MAX 9 on Friday in the United States is part of a long list of major incidents for the American aircraft manufacturer, notably marked by two air crashes which caused nearly 350 dead.

Deadly accidents, design errors, various inspection and training problems… It’s an understatement to say that the life of Boeing’s 737 MAX planes has been chaotic since they entered service. Latest example to date, Friday January 5 in the United States, when a door of a 737 MAX 9 (or 737-9) tore off in mid-flight, while the aircraft was nearly 5,000 meters away. altitude. Is the flagship plane of the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing cursed? Franceinfo has been looking back at the notable episodes of this dark series for a little over five years.

October 2018: a crash in Indonesia kills 189

Two years and nine months. This is the time that elapsed between the first flight of a Boeing 737 MAX, on January 29, 2016, and the first fatal crash of one of its models, on October 29, 2018. That day, the accident, which occurred thirteen minutes after takeoff, left 189 dead. The flight, supposed to connect Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang, was operated by the Indonesian low-cost airline Lion Air.

The investigation revealed that the crash was caused by a fault in flight control software, the MCAS anti-stall system. Despite the pilots’ efforts to deactivate it, the software put the plane into a dive, after receiving erroneous information from the two AOA angle of attack probes. Another reason put forward by Indonesian investigators: the pilot’s inadequate training.

March 2019: crash in Ethiopia kills 157

Less than six months later, a new tragedy struck. On March 10, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 coming from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Nairobi (Kenya) crashed, killing all 157 people on board. The cause of the incident is identical to that of October 2018, which further amplifies the controversy.

Following this crash, the Chinese aviation authority ordered the grounding of the 737 MAX. It is followed by regulators around the world, including the American aviation regulator (FAA). These models from the American aircraft manufacturer must undergo a modification of the MCAS software, to prevent a new tragedy from occurring. Two other prerequisites: the repositioning of certain cables and new pilot training. It takes almost two years before the 737 MAX returns to service on December 9, 2020. The Brazilian low-cost airline Gol is the first in the world to fly these devices again.

Since 2021: persistent manufacturing and inspection issues

A year later, the FAA spotted a potential electrical problem in the cockpit during a routine check. It therefore encourages Boeing to ask sixteen companies to ground their 737 MAX. A little more than a hundred aircraft are affected, according to the FAA.

More recently, Boeing had to slow down deliveries due to problems with the fuselage, particularly with the aircraft’s rear bulkhead. In December, the manufacturer asked airlines that own 737 MAXs to carry out checks because of a risk of “loose bolt” on the rudder control system. The FAA explains that Boeing acted because an international operator discovered a bolt without its nut while carrying out a routine maintenance operation.

January 2024: a door torn off in mid-flight

Latest incident to date, which the 177 people on board the Alaska Airlines plane will not soon forget: Flight 1282 took off from Portland International Airport (Oregon) on Friday, before turning around “after the crew reported a pressurization problem”, according to the FAA. A door opened and separated from the fuselage of the 737-9 at an altitude of nearly 5,000 meters, causing a few minor injuries. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the American agency responsible for transportation safety, fortunately no one was sitting in the two seats next to the partition that flew away. “We are very, very lucky that this did not end in a more tragic way”the president of the NTSB told the press during a press conference.

After this extremely rare incident, the FAA “required immediate inspections of some Boeing 737 MAX 9s before they can resume flying”which concerns 171 planes worldwide, she said on flights were canceled.