The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into an incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which was en route from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.
The investigation has revealed that the part of the aircraft that detached mid-flight was a mid-cabin door plug.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy addressed the media in a press conference on Saturday evening, explaining that the Alaska Airlines aircraft's configuration, certified for fewer than 215 passengers, does not necessitate an exit door at the location of the detached plug. "There's one on the left and one on the right. They are not operational," Homendy stated. She further clarified, "What you would see in the cabin if you were a passenger is a window and just part of the cabin. You would not see those as doors unless you are outside of the aircraft."
Reflecting on the incident, Homendy expressed relief that the outcome was not more severe. "We are very, very fortunate here that this didn't end up in something more tragic," she said. She confirmed that all passengers had deplaned without any serious injuries, though there were reports of minor injuries.
Homendy provided further details about the incident, stating, "No one was seated in 26A and B, where that door, that door plug is. The aircraft was around 16,000 feet and only 10 minutes out from the airport when the door blew." She added, "Fortunately, they were not at cruise altitude of 30,000 or 35,000 feet. We could have ended up with something so much more tragic, and really fortunate that did not occur here."
Following the incident, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) issued a grounding order for "certain Boeing 737 Max aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory." The agency's Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) mandates an inspection of all affected aircraft before further flight. The directive is expected to impact approximately 171 airplanes worldwide.
The Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Friday after the door plug detached from the side of the two-month-old Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft, which had been certified for use in November. In response to the incident, Alaska Airlines announced that it was temporarily grounding its fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft as a precautionary measure. The airline stated, "Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days."
Passengers on the flight recounted their experiences. Elizabeth Le told Oregon Live, "It sounded like your ears were popping like normally on a plane, but 10 times louder." She added, I couldnt believe it was real. Le also shared her emotional response to the incident, saying, I was just praying that everything would be OK. We were all calm, but I did feel like I was about to cry because who knows this could be my last few moments.
Another passenger, Kyle Rinker, described the atmosphere on the plane, saying, "It was deathly silent. Nobody made a noise." He noted, "You could feel the plane shake a little because of the air pressure difference.
The NTSB is currently seeking the public's assistance in locating the detached door plug. Homendy indicated that they believe it is "around Barnes Rd, near I-217 and the Cedar Hills neighborhood," and urged anyone who finds it to contact local law enforcement.
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