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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).

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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.

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Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
They're offering the passengers $1500. That's insulting.

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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.