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Japan: Passenger plane turns back to airport after cockpit window crack found mid-air

All Nippon Airways Flight 1182 was headed to Toyama before it was forced to return to the Sapporo-New Chitose airport.

The ANA flight turned back over Japan. Pic: Flightradar24
Image: The ANA flight turned back over Japan. Pic: Flightradar24
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A passenger plane has returned to its departure airport in Japan after a crack was found on the cockpit window of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft mid-air.

All Nippon Airways Flight 1182 was on a domestic journey heading to Toyama airport but then headed back to the Sapporo-New Chitose airport.

The crack was found on the outermost of four layers of windows surrounding the cockpit, a spokesperson for the Japanese airline said.

"The crack was not something that affected the flight's control or pressurisation," the spokesperson said.

No injuries were reported among 59 passengers and six crew, the spokesperson added.

Boeing has come under scrutiny after a 737 MAX 9 airplane operated by Alaska Airlines was forced to an emergency landing after a cabin panel broke off in mid-flight on 5 January.

Six crew members were seriously injured after it tore off around six minutes into the flight to Ontario, California.

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Alaska Airlines has said more
High school physics teacher Bob Sauer stands in front of his home in southwest Portland, Ore., Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. Sauer found the exit door plug that blew off Alaska Airlines flight 1282 in his backyard. The chunk of Boeing 737 Max 9 fuselage detached during the flight on Friday, Jan. 5, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. (AP Photo/Claire Rush)
Image: Bob Sauer. Pic: AP

It wasn't until two days later that Bob Sauer, a science teacher, reported something "gleaming white" underneath the trees in his garden.

It turned out to be the mid-cabin door plug which, when he realised, made his heart "start beating a little fast".

The panel remained undamaged and was taken to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) lab in Washington for further examination.

The US aviation regulator extended the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes indefinitely on Friday.

It said they would undergo new safety checks as it announced it would tighten oversight of Boeing itself.

The All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight was not a MAX.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators examine the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX 
Pic:NTSB/Reuters
Image: Pic: NTSB/Reuters

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Boeing's latest statement said: "As operators conduct the required inspections, we are staying in close contact with [Alaska Airlines] and will help address any and all findings.

"We are committed to ensuring every Boeing airplane meets design specifications and the highest safety and quality standards. We regret the impact this has had on our customers and their passengers."

Boeing's MAX 8 planes were grounded globally in 2019 after two fatal crashes.