The NTSB is asking the public to help find the missing piece of the Alaska Airlines plane that blew off mid-flight
Jan 8, 2024, 04:13 IST
- The FBI and local authorities are trying to find part of a Boeing 737 Max 9 that blew off mid-flight.
- The NTSB said Saturday that the components are likely near Portland's Cedar Hills neighborhood.
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The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating Friday's Alaska Airlines in-flight blowout, is seeking the public's help in locating a portion of the fuselage that fell some 16,000 feet from an airborne Boeing 737 Max 9.
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, on Friday when suddenly a mid-cabin door plug flew off, leaving a massive hole in the side of the plane and immediately depressurizing the cabin.NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a press conference Saturday that the FBI is working with local authorities to find "the door and components" that fell off but that they "need the public's help."Law enforcement agencies have examined the flight's radar data and determined that the door is likely near Barnes Road and I-217 in the Cedar Hills neighborhood of Portland, Homendy said. She added that anyone who finds the aircraft components should contact local law enforcement or email witness@ntsb.gov.Homendy said the NTSB is also still seeking pictures and videos from inside the aircraft.A number of the flight's passengers have posted images and videos on social media, describing their terror as they realized they were flying with a gaping hole in the side of the plane. One passenger, Emma Vu, posted a TikTok saying she saw a toddler's shirt fly off, and a phone fly out the hole.Recently released audio from the incident revealed the pilot calmly speaking to the air-traffic controller and saying the plane needed to turn back."We just depressurized, we're declaring an emergency. We need to descend down to 10,000. We just need to depressurize, and we need to return back to Portland," the pilot said. The aircraft soon received the all-clear to land.On Saturday, Homendy said the NTSB had been made aware of some minor injuries but not any serious injuries as a result of the incident. But she added that "this was a pretty terrifying event" and extended sympathy to any passengers now experiencing psychological injuries.Homendy said, mercifully, no one had been sitting in seats 26A and 26B, the two seats nearest to the hole. Another saving grace was the fact that the plane had not yet reached cruising altitude at roughly 32,000 feet — the aircraft was hovering around 16,000 feet and had just departed Portland's airport 10 minutes earlier.Homendy pointed out that typically, when planes reach cruising altitude, people unbuckle their seatbelts and walk about the cabin, and flight attendants provide services."We're really fortunate that that did not occur here," Homendy said.As a result of the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Saturday that it will temporarily ground 171 Boeing 737 Max 9s for inspections before any further flights.