The aircraft experienced explosive decompression after the door plug blew off in flight. [Courtesy: NTSB]
Key Takeaways:
The fuselage door plug that blew off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was found in a Portland schoolteacher's backyard, becoming a crucial piece of evidence for the investigation.
The incident caused "explosive decompression" at 16,000 feet but resulted in no serious injuries to the 177 persons on board, though it led to the grounding of all 737 Max 9 aircraft by Alaska Airlines and the FAA.
The NTSB investigation is analyzing the door plug's components, reviewing previous auto-pressurization light issues on the aircraft, and is hampered by the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) being overwritten, prompting calls for extended CVR recording times.
Federal officials have found the fuselage door plug blown off the Alaska Airlines flight on Friday night out of Portland, Oregon. According to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, the door plug was found in the backyard of a Portland-area schoolteacher.
The loss of the door plug resulted in what has been described as “explosive decompression.”
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
