A warning indicator on the Alaska Airlines plane that was unable to repair a portion of its fuselage was activated during earlier flights, stopping the plane from flying on long trips over water, according to the National Transportation Safety Board said.
In addition the flight crew and passengers described the mood aboard the Alaska Airlines operated Boeing 737 Max 9 flight as chaotic, “loud” and “very violent” after a plug for the door fell off, leaving an enormous gap on the plane’s side. The plane was with 171 passengers and six crew members safely landed back to Portland, Ore. There no injuries were reported.
A door plug is utilized to fill up a doorway. It is connected with stop fittings that have 12 stops that prevent the plug from being removed. In this instance the plug was not utilized for a door that was functional, NTSB Chairperson Jennifer Homendy told the Sunday news conference.
The plug for the door was discovered inside the back yard of the Portland teacher known as Bob, Homendy said. Two cellphones were discovered – one by the side of the road, and one in a garden she said.
@strawberr.vy Girls’ trip was turned into an emergency landing… #alaska #alaskaair original sound – VY
An advisory light came on during 3 previous flights
Three flights prior to Friday’s flight, the plane’s auto failure to pressurize light was up, Homendy said.
The flights took place on December. 7 last year, then on January. 3 and January. 4, which was just before the flight on Friday. The flashing light is “very pleasant,” Homendy said, and it was checked by maintenance personnel and then reset.
“We aren’t sure if there is any connection between these two events,” Homendy said. “It could be totally separate.”
Alaska Airlines then temporarily restricted the plane’s flight across the ocean to Hawaii to ensure that it could be accessible to airports. The airline asked that maintenance personnel investigate the light. But, the request were not completed before the plug was removed.
The moment that the plug for the door came off, the door shut.
The plug fell off, the crew heard a loud bang, Homendy said at the news conference.
The crew immediately donned the oxygen masks. The quick reference handbook flew through the door to the cockpit, and it flung open and blocked the entrance into the restroom, but it was unoccupied. Instead the captain passed the quick reference manual to the officer who was first, who had slammed her head forward, making her headset come off. The crew put oxygen masks on, and switched on the speakers to warn people inside the cabin.
The circuit breaker for the voice recorder in the cockpit was not turned off, and the recorder was completely empty Homendy said.
“Communication was a major problem,” Homendy said. “The flight attendants said that it was hard to obtain details on the deck while the deck of flight was experiencing difficulties communicating with the flight deck.”
The NTSB has spoken to two flight attendants in leading edge of the plane. They will be interviewing the two flight attendants who were in the rear of the plane on Monday.
The plane has a capacity of 178. The 171 passengers on board included four minors unaccompanied by parents and three infants who were in the laps of their parents, Homendy said.
Homendy was appreciative of the efforts that the air crew as well as attendants.
“After the incident that was so explosive happened abruptly the flight attendants were extremely focussed on the situation of these kids,” Homendy said. “Were they secured? Are they secure? Did they wear lap belts in place, and did they have masks in place? Yes, they did.”
Homendy said that the NTSB and Alaska Airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration and Alaska Airlines recommends that caregivers purchase infant seats before two years old and secure them to car seats.
Interior damage
The plug was in row 26 on the left-hand part of the aircraft. No one was in the seats next to the door that is the seats 26A or 26B. The headrests on both these seats have disappeared along with the tray table that was on the back of seat 26A is absent. The seats were sent to NTSB for inspection.
There was quite a bit of damage to the paneling as well as the trim around the area. The seal around the window was unharmed, Homendy said.
“Those are not all crucial to the structural integrity that the plane is built upon, therefore I’d like to emphasize that” she stated.
The NTSB is investigating the function the oxygen mask which was in the ceiling of its panel. Homendy claimed that it may have not deploy, or somebody must have placed it back up following the incident.
Additional damage was also reported within rows 11 through 11,, 25, 27, along with 31 to 33. It was unaffected to the plane’s exterior, Homendy said.
What’s next for the investigation?
NTSB teams were busy on Sunday capturing any damage that may have occurred caused to the frame. They’ve looked for paint transfer marks and are transferring certain components like the stop fittings into a lab for examination and the NTSB will be looking for evidence like shears and cracks an microscope.
The door plug that is to the right of the plane must also be examined.
The FAA has halted 171 models of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes and demanded that they be inspected immediately. Alaska Airlines has grounded all models of that plane.
“Safety is our number one priority, and we are deeply disappointed by the effect this tragedy has caused our customers and their guests,” Boeing said Saturday. “We support and fully agree with the FAA’s decision to insist on immediate inspections for 7377-9 aircrafts having similar configurations as the plane that was damaged. Furthermore an Boeing tech team has been working with the investigation of the NTSB of the January. 5 crash. We will be in constant contact with our regulator as well as our customers.”
“My heart is broken for the passengers on this flight. I am sorry for what happened to you,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement. “We have been working closely with Boeing and the regulatory authorities to determine the events of tonight and will update you as more information becomes available.”
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