US Agency Investigates Passenger Jet Incident

US Agency Investigates Passenger Jet Incident

美国机构调查客机事件

【听力音频】

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　　By Mario Ritter

　　08 January 2024

　　Officials have recovered a part of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max passenger jet that blew off during a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California on Friday.

　　The plane was minutes into the flight and was able to return to the Portland airport. All 171 people and six crew members were unharmed in the incident.

　　The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered that all 737 MAX aircraft be grounded on Saturday. The emergency order affected all 737 MAX 9 planes around the world.

　　Reports say the part that failed was called a panel or "door plug." U.S. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said a schoolteacher found the part in a Portland neighborhood on Sunday.

　　The investigation into the incident is likely to last months.

　　What part failed?

　　The 737 MAX 9 aircraft has several different designs. One can seat more than 200 passengers. This version needs to have two extra exits to meet safety rules which require all passengers to be able to escape the aircraft in 90 seconds in case of an emergency.

　　However, the Alaska Airlines plane has fewer than 180 seats. This version of the 737 MAX 9 is not required to have the extra exits. As a result, the plane has a panel, or permanent door plug, over the area on the plane's body that would normally have a door. Some other versions of Boeing 737s also have door plugs.

　　The Associated Press reports that a company called Spirit AeroSystems installed door plugs on 737 MAX 9s, including the Alaska Airlines plane.

　　What are airlines doing?

　　Alaska Airlines has grounded all 65 of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft. They are to be inspected and to undergo maintenance. Some of the planes were still in service on Saturday, but they were grounded after the FAA ordered all operators of MAX 9s to carry out inspections.

　　Alaska Airlines said it canceled 170 flights on Sunday. By early Monday, 20 percent of the carrier's flights were canceled, the AP reported.

　　United Airlines is the world's biggest operator of MAX 9 planes. It grounded all 79 of its planes. The two airlines are the only U.S. passenger airlines that operate the planes.

　　The AP says six other airlines also operate the Boeing aircraft. There are 215 of the planes in service around the world.

　　Air travel safety

　　U.S. officials have noted that air travel remains very safe. There has not been a deadly crash of a U.S. airliner since 2009. However, the FAA held a big safety meeting last year after a series of incidents.

　　The Alaska Airlines incident again brought attention to the 737 MAX aircraft. Aviation officials grounded MAX 8 aircraft around the world for nearly two years after crashes in 2018 and 2019. The 737 MAX 8 is a little smaller than the MAX 9.

　　Anthony Brickhouse is a professor of aviation safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. He said it is too soon to know if the incident is the result of a problem with the MAX 9. He said government officials and airlines will confirm that the planes are safe before returning them to service.

　　"When passengers board a flight, they should feel confident that the aircraft they are flying on is safe," Brickhouse said.

　　After the accident, Boeing released a statement saying it regretted the effects "this event has had on our customers and their passengers."

　　It said it supported the FAA's decision and was assisting investigators.

　　I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

　　Mario Ritter adapted this story for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters sources.

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　　作者：Mario Ritter

　　日期：2024年1月8日

　　官方已经找回了一架阿拉斯加航空公司的波音737 Max客机在从俄勒冈州波特兰飞往加利福尼亚州安大略的航班中脱落的部分。

　　飞机刚起飞几分钟就返回了波特兰机场。所有171名乘客和6名机组人员在这次事件中都没有受伤。

　　美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）在周六下令所有737 MAX型号的飞机停飞。这项紧急命令影响了全球所有的737 MAX 9型飞机。

　　报道称，出现故障的部分被称为面板或"门塞"。美国国家交通安全委员会主席詹妮弗·霍门迪表示，一名学校教师在周日在波特兰的一个社区找到了这个部分。

　　对这次事件的调查可能会持续数月。

　　哪个部分出现了故障？

　　737 MAX 9型飞机有几种不同的设计。其中一种可以容纳200多名乘客。这个版本需要有两个额外的出口，以满足在紧急情况下，所有乘客能在90秒内逃离飞机的安全规定。

　　然而，阿拉斯加航空公司的飞机座位少于180个。这个版本的737 MAX 9并不需要有额外的出口。因此，飞机在通常会有门的机身区域上有一个面板，或者说是永久的门塞。波音737的一些其他版本也有门塞。

　　据美联社报道，一家名为Spirit AeroSystems的公司在包括阿拉斯加航空公司的飞机在内的737 MAX 9型飞机上安装了门塞。

　　航空公司正在做什么？

　　阿拉斯加航空公司已经将其所有65架737 MAX 9型飞机停飞，以进行检查和维护。其中一些飞机在周六仍在运行，但在联邦航空管理局要求所有MAX 9型飞机运营商进行检查后，它们被停飞。

　　阿拉斯加航空公司表示，周日取消了170个航班。到周一早些时候，该公司20%的航班被取消，美联社报道。

　　联合航空公司是全球最大的MAX 9型飞机运营商。它停飞了所有79架飞机。这两家航空公司是唯一运营这种飞机的美国客运航空公司。

　　美联社表示，还有六家其他航空公司也运营波音飞机。全球范围内有215架这种飞机在运行。

　　航空旅行安全

　　美国官员指出，航空旅行仍然非常安全。自2009年以来，美国航空公司还未发生过致命的飞机坠毁事故。然而，去年在一系列事件发生后，联邦航空管理局举行了一次大型的安全会议。

　　阿拉斯加航空公司的这次事件再次引起了人们对737 MAX飞机的关注。在2018年和2019年的两次坠机事故后，全球各地的航空官员将MAX 8型飞机停飞了近两年。737 MAX 8型飞机比MAX 9型飞机稍小一些。

　　安东尼·布里克豪斯是佛罗里达州恩布里-里德尔航空大学的航空安全教授。他表示，现在还为时过早，无法确定这次事件是否是MAX 9型飞机的问题所导致。他表示，政府官员和航空公司会在确认飞机安全后才会重新投入使用。

　　布里克豪斯说：“当乘客登机时，他们应该对他们乘坐的飞机的安全性有信心。”

　　事故发生后，波音公司发表声明表示，对“这次事件对我们的客户及其乘客产生的影响”表示遗憾。

　　它表示支持联邦航空管理局的决定，并正在协助调查人员。

　　我是马里奥·里特尔。

　　马里奥·里特尔从美联社和路透社的报道中为美国之音学英语改编了这个故事。

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　　在这个故事中的词汇：

　　component –n. 系统或机器的一部分

　　install –v. 将某物放置在机器中以便正确使用

　　maintenance –n. 保持某物（如机器）处于良好工作状态

　　regret –v. 希望某事没有发生；对某事已经发生感到遗憾