Alaska Airlines returned the 737 MAX 9 that lost its door plug to Boeing

Alaska Airlines has confirmed the return of the 737 MAX 9 with registration number N704AL to Boeing, Reuters said.

The aircraft suffered a door plug blow-out during a flight on January 5. After an incident in flight, the pilots managed to land in Portland without any injuries on board.

The 178-seat jet has since been parked at the airport after undergoing several investigations.

According to Alaska, the 737 MAX 9 had its registration changed, but the new identity was not disclosed.

The airline also said that it will receive another aircraft of the same type in addition to a 737-10, a variant with up to 230 seats.

The 737 MAX 9 that suffered a door plug rupture in flight had been delivered to Alaska in October and underwent an inspection in Renton, when employees allegedly failed to reattach four bolts that keep the part secured.

The door plug lost by Alaska’s 737 MAX 9 (KGW)

NTSB Alert

The revelation about the fate of the 737 MAX 9 comes the day after a threat made by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), which recriminated Boeing for making confidential information about the investigation public.

According to the security agency, an executive from the manufacturer disclosed non-public investigative information and made unfounded speculations during a visit by journalists to Boeing.

The NTSB warned Boeing that this could lead to it being removed from the investigation.