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Boeing Alaska Airlines Incident

 * The Latest
 * What to Know
 * A Harrowing Flight
 * Missing Plane Piece Retrieved
 * Boeing Under Scrutiny
 * Guidance for Travelers

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Location of

door plug


WHY A PANEL TORE OFF AN ALASKA AIRLINES JET MIDAIR

By Helmuth Rosales and Anjali Singhvi

Jan. 9, 2024

A panel called a door plug may have blown off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max
9 jet shortly after takeoff on Friday because four critical bolts meant to keep
it in place were missing or improperly installed, federal investigators said.


VIEW OF DOOR PLUG FROM INSIDE A BOEING 737

Two pairs of bolts keep the door plug from

moving upward, unseating it from its position.

Location of upper bolts

Door plug

Stop

pad

Stop

fitting

Window

Door

frame

Location of lower bolts

Twelve stop fittings on the door plug and an

equal number of stop pads on the door frame

press against one another to keep the panel in

place as pressure inside and outside the plane

changes.

Note: Door plug shown partially open.

Two pairs of bolts keep the door plug from moving upward, unseating it from its
position.

 

Twelve stop fittings on the door plug and an equal number of stop pads on the
door frame press against one another to keep the panel in place as pressure
inside and outside the plane changes.

Location of upper bolts

Door plug

Stop

pad

Stop

fitting

Window

Door

frame

Note: Door plug shown partially open.

Location of lower bolts

The door plug, which looks like a regular window from the inside, was placed
where an emergency door would have been if the plane had more seats. The one
that tore off was on the plane’s left side at Row 26. No passengers were seated
next to it, federal officials said.

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Seating chart of Alaska

Airlines plane

Row 26: Location

of door plug

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Exit

Seating chart of Alaska Airlines plane

Row 26: Location

of door plug

The blowout did not injure anyone, but it exposed passengers to powerful winds
while 16,000 feet in the air and has raised questions about Boeing’s quality
control. The flight on Friday was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members.



A big hole was left in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 where
the door plug used to be.

Instagram/@Strawberrvy via Reuters

The door plug was recovered on Sunday in a Portland, Ore., backyard. The
National Transportation Safety Board said the four bolts have not been found
yet.

All Boeing 737 Max 9 jets with a door plug remain grounded. The Federal Aviation
Administration said on Tuesday that Boeing’s instructions for how airlines
should check the planes were being revised.



Sources: National Transportation Safety Board, Alaska Airlines, Boeing

Additional reporting by Niraj Chokshi.


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