Alaska Airlines placed restrictions on the Boeing plane involved in a dramatic mid-air blowout after pressurisation warnings in the days before Friday's incident, investigators say.
The jet had been prevented from making long-haul flights over water, said Jennifer Homendy of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
quote:
The force of the blowout caused the door of the cockpit to open and a laminated checklist and the first officer's headset both flew out into the cabin, she said.
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Ms Homendy later announced that the part of the fuselage that detached had been found, after a teacher named Bob located the missing section in his backyard.
"I'm excited to announce that we've found the door plug," she told reporters. "Thank you, Bob."
The plug is a piece of fuselage weighing 27kg (60lb), with a window, that can be used as an emergency exit in certain configurations. Authorities had been searching for it in Portland, the departure city.
Ms Homedy said it was the "key missing component" to work out why the blowout happened. Two mobile phones believed to have fallen from the aircraft are also reported to have been found.
An Oregon man shared an image of an iPhone which he said he had discovered, working as normal, in a grass verge beside a road. The device appeared to display an email receipt for a $70 (£55) checked baggage charge for the flight.
-------------------------------- We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb
Bazootiehead-in-training
Posts: 37975 | Location: Somewhere in the middle | Registered: 19 January 2010
Where is PJ? I was going to ask him about this, because I'm remembering one time he talked about how you wouldn't be able to open an emergency exit door in flight because of the pressurization -- I'm not remembering the details but I was curious about this incident in light of that...
Originally posted by Cindysphinx: They're offering the passengers $1500. That's insulting.
Agreed!
I read an article about the mother and son who were closest to the hole, about how dangerous it was for him in particular, and how the official depiction of the incident downplays that … I’ll see if I can find it, but the point is, when you read that, it makes the $1500 even worse.
I’m here. I don’t know much that isn’t already publicly available. And what I do know beyond that, I’m not at liberty to discuss. Even others at NFFMCo won’t tell me what they know.
The plug should not be able to open when the airplane is pressurized, just like the exit door that the plug replaces.
I’m waiting for facts and official findings.
In other news, my MIL is supposed to fly from Boise to Seattle on Saturday. Her booking says she’s on a 737-900.
Originally posted by pianojuggler: I’m here. I don’t know much that isn’t already publicly available. And what I do know beyond that, I’m not at liberty to discuss. Even others at NFFMCo won’t tell me what they know.
The plug should not be able to open when the airplane is pressurized, just like the exit door that the plug replaces.
I’m waiting for facts and official findings.
In other news, my MIL is supposed to fly from Boise to Seattle on Saturday. Her booking says she’s on a 737-900.
My friend is on a 737-900 today to Dallas. It’s not the same; I had to look it up!
I’m scheduled on a 737 Max 9 later this month…I’m hoping all inspections/fixes will be done by then. Could be the safest planes in the air after all that?