To understand the presence of the plug, it’s important to first contextualize the design ... renewed scrutiny when a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 detached mid-flight.

On August 20, 2023, the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 was landing at John Wayne-Orange County Airport in California when the gear failed, sending sparks flying as the engine scraped the runway.

component damaged and set the stage for a fatigue crack to form and cause the gear to collapse when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 touched down at John Wayne-Orange County Airport (SNA ...