On Friday, part of the cabin wall of a Boeing 737 came off and crashed on a domestic flight in the USA. A teacher from Portland, Oregon, discovered it in his garden.
The cabin part of a Boeing 737 Max that was torn off during a flight in the USA has been found. A teacher in the city of Portland, Oregon, discovered the part in his garden, Jennifer Homendy of the US Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said at a press conference.
The man sent photos of the item to the authorities. “We’re going to pick it up now and make sure we start analyzing it.” According to the NTSB, it is a cover plate for an unused emergency exit, also called a “door jamb.”
Big bang, hole in the plane wall
The Alaska Airlines flight number 1282 had taken off from Portland in the northwest of the USA and was on its way to Ontario in California when, according to passengers, part of the cabin wall and window flew out shortly after takeoff. There was a big bang and then air rushed in through the hole, passengers told The Oregonian newspaper.
The seat right next to the window was unoccupied, but none of the 171 passengers were seriously injured. The plane turned around and made an emergency landing in Portland about 20 minutes later.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a temporary take-off ban for more than 170 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft. Airlines around the world temporarily took the planes out of service, leading to dozens of flight cancellations over the weekend.
Regarding the status of the investigation, Homendy said that on three previous flights a warning light had illuminated in the aircraft that indicated the failure of the automatic pressure equalization system. These were “harmless” incidents that were reported and checked. It is not known whether there is a connection between the lighting of the lamp and the demolition of the cabin part.
Claudia Sarre, ARD Washington, tagesschau, January 6th, 2024 3:00 p.m