NTSB locates missing Alaska Airlines door plug
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has located a door plug missing after an incident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9 when a panel blew out at 16,000 feet,…
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has located a door plug missing after an incident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9 when a panel blew out at 16,000 feet, causing a rapid depressurisation.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said Bob, a schoolteacher, had found the panel near his Portland, Oregon home.
“We’re going to go pick that up and make sure that we begin analysing it,” she said.
The NTSB has launched a “Go Team” to Portland to investigate the event with a Boeing 737-9 MAX during a flight from Portland to Ontario, California.
No serious injuries were reported after the window panel was blown out mid-flight.
It comes after the FAA has ordered the temporary grounding of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory after the incident.
“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. “Safety will continue to drive our decision-making as we assist the NTSB’s investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”
The Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) requires operators to inspect affected aircraft before further flight. The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft.
The EAD will affect approximately 171 planes worldwide.
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