Mid-exit door (MED) plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. [Courtesy: NTSB]
Key Takeaways:
The NTSB's final report on the Alaska Airlines 737-9 door plug detachment concluded the probable cause was Boeing's failure in providing adequate training, guidance, and oversight, leading to the plug being reinstalled without retaining bolts.
The report recommends Boeing implement a redesigned door plug, improve manufacturing processes, enhance safety culture, and overhaul training and documentation protocols for parts removal and personnel qualification.
Recommendations for the FAA include mandating door plug retrofits on in-service aircraft, revising compliance enforcement surveillance, requiring 25-hour cockpit voice recorders on new and existing planes, and studying child restraint system usage for infants.
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.
