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 located in a Portland-area schoolteacher's backyard, now serving as crucial evidence for the NTSB investigation.
The incident involved an "explosive decompression" at 16,000 feet, but miraculously, no serious injuries were reported among the 177 people on board, though the aircraft sustained interior damage.
The NTSB is examining the recovered door plug, aircraft damage, and maintenance records, including previous reports of an auto pressurization light on the same aircraft, but the cockpit voice recorder was overwritten.
Following the event, Alaska Airlines and the FAA grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for immediate inspection, leading to widespread flight cancellations.
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.”
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
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.
