Posted on 03/20/2024 7:49:58 AM PDT by Twotone
The inner windshield of a Boeing jet flown by Alaska Airlines cracked as the plane came in for a landing in Oregon on Sunday, according to KPTV. The incident represents the latest in a slew of issues involving Boeing jets.
The Alaska Airlines flight was traveling from Washington, D.C., to Portland International Airport on Sunday when crew members noticed a crack on the inner windshield.
Following the incident, the airline released a statement, writing: “The crew followed their checklists and the aircraft continued safely to its destination as scheduled."
The New York Post reported that the airline said its fleet of Boeing 737-800s have a total of five layers of windscreens, with an outer pane, three inner layers, and then an inner pane.
“If an inner pane cracks, the other pane and layers can maintain cabin pressure," officials with the airline said. There were no injuries reported among the 159 passengers and six crew members aboard the plane.
The Post reached out to Boeing for comment on the situation, but the company reportedly declined to comment.
The Federal Aviation Administration has discovered dozens of issues with Boeing's 737 MAX jet production process. Investigators discovered that mechanics at one of its key suppliers used a hotel key card and dish soap as makeshift tools to test compliance, per reports.
The New York Times reported that Boeing has failed 33 out of 89 product audits. The revelations amounted to 97 counts of alleged noncompliance. However, the FAA reportedly could not release specific details about the audit due to its ongoing investigation into Boeing following a previous episode involving Alaska Airlines.
A more intense spotlight has been put on Boeing following the mysterious death of John Barnett — a former Boeing employee who was in the middle of blowing the whistle on the aircraft company's questionable quality checks.
Barnett was discovered in his truck with a gunshot wound to his head the morning he was to give testimony about Boeing's shortcomings. His death has since been ruled a suicide, but others have questioned whether there could have been foul play.
"John was a brave, honest man of the highest integrity," Barnett's lawyers said in a joint statement.
“He cared dearly about his family, his friends, the Boeing company, his Boeing co-workers, and the pilots and people who flew on Boeing aircraft. We have rarely met someone with a more sincere and forthright character.”
Sources familiar with the case have said investigators have dusted Barnett's truck for possible fingerprints, which is highly unusual in suicide cases.
If it’s Boeing, I’m not going.
Airplanes have always been very complex machines. Being machines, they wear out and break...constantly. Like many, I think every incident is being made public and making aircraft ops look more dangerous than it is.
“Its like the old Soviet Aeroflot days!”
I actually flew Aeroflot between Moscow and Saint Petersburg back in the day (’73) and that was one scary flight with the jet rattling so much I thought it was coming apart. But at least they served me alcoholic beverages even though I was only 15 at the time. I needed the booze to calm my nerves.
Agreed, this stuff in pretty common, it’s not just a Boeing thing.
I had two windshields replaced by them a few weeks apart.
Both rock damage even if the second one was something else.
The second one I was on open interstate and not much traffic. Then I heard a loud crack and saw tiny shards of glass on the dash and my clothes.
Whatever hit went in at almost level with the dash. Just above the windshield wiper arm, drivers side.
Looking down when I got somewhere to stop, the hole was about quarter sized and went all the way through. Nothing wrong with the dash panel.
Funny thing was I didn’t find the rock or whatever it was lodged anywhere. I also didn’t see the object coming.
I’ve never seen a windshield get hammered like that from rocks.
One would almost think it was a bullet because of the damage plus there being a fairly round hole. There was light traffic there was, mostly some tractor trailers way ahead and a few cars. I didn’t see anything unusual.
It would have to come from straight ahead.
Safelite replaced no problem. The guy said that damage was new one to him.
With the windshield out, no signs of anything.
Make of it what you will.
That was the one time I should have had a Go Pro mounted.
I think they sold them off to North Korea - you can still see TU-154’s in Air Koryo livery at Beijing airport to this day.
It’d have been a whole lot of pain if they’d broken while up in the air.
So why isn’t all these problems happening to other planes?
They are not news to the MSM now. The other aircraft manufacturers have just as many problems, if not more. If you don’t think so, just watch the TV series “Air Disasters”.
AVIATION PING!........................
I'm thinking mal-functioning anti-ice system.
Oh yup, good point- gets might chilly in the air .which stresses things like glass, so,that could be it.
Most likely the window heat controller failed. This is not an unusual problem. The window is made of several layers, the outer most layer being glass, for scratch and abrasion resistance. The other layers are plastic, with thin wires between layers for thermal anti ice protection. Window heat controllers can fail to heat or overheat. Fail to heat at altitude causes an immediate temperature difference between 50 degrees below zero outside air and 70 degrees inside air. this sudden loss of heat can cause the window to shatter. A sudden overheat condition can cause the same damage.
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