Wanted: an airplane door.
If you find it, contact the National Transportation Safety Board immediately.
That was the message the feds delivered Sunday when they asked the public for help finding a “plug door” that exploded on an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight Friday night, leaving a giant hole in the fuselage that threatened almost 200 passengers.
“We believe, by looking at the radar data, that the gate is around Barnes Road, near I-217 in the Cedar Hills neighborhood,” said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, referring to a region about seven miles west of Portland, Oregon.
“If you find that, contact local police,” he added, according to CNN.
The emergency door opened shortly after the California-bound plane took off from Portland International Airport, creating a nightmare scenario for the 171 passengers and six crew members on board.
The terrified travelers watched in silence as the lights of the city flickered far below through the gaping hole where the gate once stood.
The ordeal, which unfolded as the plane hummed at about 16,000 feet, quickly decompressed the cabin and forced the pilots to turn around and return to Portland for an emergency landing, according to NBC News.
A power outlet door exploded Friday night on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane, depressurizing the cabin and terrifying all 177 people on board. ZUMAPRESS.com The socket door is often used as an emergency exit when necessary. via KPTV
The 737 had just left the city 10 minutes earlier and was heading south toward Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County.
But luckily there was no one sitting next to the door that blew up, Homendy said.
The plane landed safely at Portland International Airport and first responders treated passengers with minor injuries at the scene.
“It’s fortunate that no one died and there were no more serious injuries,” he told CNN after touring the plane as part of the board’s investigation into the dangerous mishap.
NTSB investigators will also interview the flight crew, he said.
Fortunately, there was no one sitting by the broken outlet door. Instagram/@strawberrvy via REUTE
Homendy said finding the missing door will help them figure out why it failed.
“If it’s in someone’s backyard, I’d like to see it,” he said.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday that no one had called yet to inform them that the gate was in their yard.
In addition to terrifying passengers, the shocking mid-air disaster led the FAA to ground certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft (a total of about 171 aircraft worldwide) and a series of cancellations.
Boeing said it is developing a long-term solution to fix the 737 Max problems. AFP via Getty Images
Alaska Airlines itself canceled 160 flights, affecting about 23,000 travelers, as of Saturday, CNN reported.
More cancellations could also come as airline officials inspect their fleet of Boeing planes.
“We are identifying the necessary cancellations for tomorrow and expect the disruption to last at least until mid-week,” the airline said in the statement to the network.
United Airlines has also grounded its fleet of 79 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes while it works with the Federal Aviation Administration to inspect them, CNN said.
When the door was ripped off with a loud bang, the sudden depressurization ripped off headrests and seat cushions and sent oxygen masks falling from the ceiling, according to the outlet.
The ordeal terrified the passengers, who watched as the seats were destroyed by the rapid decompression. Instagram/@strawberrvy via REUTE
Homendy told the network that he knew the planes had pressurization problems before the flight.
Investigators will examine the brains of the airline’s mechanics to see what they did to fix it, he added.
Boeing said it supported the FAA’s order to ground the planes.
“Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers,” Boeing said in a statement to the network.
Alaska Airlines did not respond to the network’s request for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn