The aircraft experienced explosive decompression after the door plug blew off in flight. [Courtesy: NTSB]
Key Takeaways:
Federal officials recovered the fuselage door plug that blew off an Alaska Airlines flight, causing explosive decompression, from a Portland-area backyard, marking it as crucial evidence for the NTSB investigation.
The NTSB's probe is examining aircraft damage and maintenance records, including prior auto-pressurization light issues, but is hindered by the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) being overwritten after its two-hour limit.
The incident led to the grounding of all 737 Max 9 aircraft by Alaska Airlines and the FAA, causing widespread flight cancellations, and has prompted the NTSB to advocate for extending CVR recording times to 25 hours for all aircraft, both new and existing.
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.
