One of the biggest fears when traveling: something happens to the plane in flight. An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 departed on Jan. 5 for Ontario, California. The flight marked the aircraft’s third month in service under Alaska Airlines.

The flight, which departed Portland, Oregon (PDX), had less than 50 empty seats, including 26A and 26B. Two-hundred and twenty passengers were on board and, just after take-off, the plane’s plug door immediately came loose and went into the air, 16,000 feet up.

The hole in the side of the plane also began sucking nearby items out of the plane, including headrests from seats. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and, 20 minutes after the incident, the plane landed safely. As of Jan. 8, the unlucky door was found in the backyard of a Portland home.

While initially believed a fluke, an initial investigation into the incident revealed a string of problems leading up to the fated flight. Less than 40 days before the Boeing joined the Alaska Airlines fleet, an auto pressurization fail light was noted. The light then appeared on Jan. 3 and 4. Reporting this notification as normal, Alaska Airlines gave the go ahead for the plane to fly.

The incident also resulted in the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft across the country until each aircraft was inspected for similar faults. This saw hundreds of flights from United Airlines and Alaska Airlines canceled, with still no indication from the FAA or airlines as to when these planes can return to service.

The Alaska Airlines flight event left many travelers wondering if something like this could happen again. How many planes are currently in use that might prove problematic? How many planes also indicated a fail light in auto pressurization, not to mention the multitude of other checks required to pass to fly?

In the rush to evaluate other Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, it’s perhaps no surprise United Airlines announced on Jan. 8 loose bolts had been discovered on its own Boeing 737 Max 9 planes. The airline now plans to remove two rows of seats and sidewall liner in each of the faulty aircraft to correct.

And last year alone, Boeing reported an issue with fittings on Max jets. Boeing and Spirit Airlines discovered incorrectly drilled fastener holes in the aft pressure bulkhead on some models of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

In June 2023, an engine fire on a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max erupted, landing safely in Newark. This investigation is still underway. Another fire from a Boeing 737 Max flight happened Dec. 14, 2023, on a United Airlines flight to Denver. No one was injured.

This string of incidents with Boeing 737 Max aircraft is nothing recent. Problems and serious incidents have occurred for several years, the worst involving two fatal crashes on Indonesia’s Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, as well as a 2018 Southwest Airlines incident when part of the engine shattered a window, killing a female passenger.

Have you recently traveled aboard a Boeing 737 Max 9? Have you ever been aboard a plane where the plane malfunctioned? What happened? Tell us your thoughts. Email us at [email protected]. Please include your full name and location.