An Alaska Airlines plane crashed at an altitude of 16,000 feet yesterday when a window door burst, leaving a huge "refrigerator-like" hole in the side of the fuselage. The incident happened suddenly, the situation was critical, and even the clothes of children were sucked out of the window. The passengers were all frightened, and the plane had to make an emergency landing.
After the incident, U.S. officials urgently ordered the immediate grounding of some Boeing 737-9 Max jets until inspections were completed.
Some major Canadian airlines, including Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing, etc., have urgently announced after the incident that they will not use Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft, and actively communicate with Boeing to ensure that the models used do not have similar explosions in the accident.
Shortly after an Alaska Airlines jetliner took off over the U.S. state of Oregon late Friday, a large hole was blown out of a part of the fuselage, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing, and the 171 passengers and six crew members on board also hurriedly put on oxygen masks.
The plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after takeoff, and fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
It is reported that Flight 1282 took off from Portland at 5:07 p.m. on Friday and is expected to fly to Ontario, California, with a two-hour flight time.
About six minutes later, the plane had an accident at an altitude of about 16,000 feet, and large chunks of the fuselage exploded.
One of the pilots declared an emergency and asked to descend to an altitude of 10,000 feet, where there was enough oxygen in the air to breathe safely.
"We need to turn back to Portland. The pilot told the controllers in a calm voice that she had maintained this calm throughout the landing.
Videos posted online by passengers show a large hole in the window and passengers wearing masks. About 13 minutes after the explosion, the plane landed safely and passengers responded with loud applause.
Firefighters then walked down the aisle and asked passengers to stay in their seats while they treated the injured.
↓See here for the specific video↓
The child's clothes were sucked away by strong winds
According to passenger Evan Smith, a boy and his mother were sitting in the same row as the deck exploded, and strong winds even sucked the child's shirt off him and flew off the plane.
"You can hear a loud bang coming from the rear left. With a whoosh, all the oxygen masks immediately opened, and everyone hurried to put them on. Smith told KATU-TV in an interview.
Photos posted by passengers appear to show a panel that could be used for an optional rear middle hatch as if it had been vigorously ripped off, leaving a door-like notch. The seat next to the committee was unoccupied, the report said.
This extra door is usually installed by low-cost airlines, which use extra seats and require more evacuation routes. However, these doors are permanently "blocked" or closed on Alaska Airlines aircraft.
John Cox, a former pilot and CEO of Safety Operating Systems, an American aviation consulting group, told CBC News on Saturday that "this type of aircraft door has been in use for many years. ”
"It's not just for the Max, it's for the [Boeing 737] new generation aircraft. As far as I know, before today, there had not been a case of one of the doors suddenly opening, either on NG or Max. He said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday that it would open an investigation into the incident.
After the incident, a number of Canadian airlines have issued relevant statements.
Airlines such as Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing Airlines, Flair Airlines and Lynx Air have all said they do not use Boeing 737-9 Max jets, but instead operate 737-8 Max jets.
Porter Airlines, for its part, said it would not operate any Boeing aircraft.
Air Canada said it has 40 Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft, which, unlike the 737-9 Max, do not have the doors of an accident-like airliner. A WestJet spokesperson said it is in close communication with Boeing to ensure there are no related problems with the doors currently in operation.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said inspections of the company's 737-9 fleet could take days to complete. They account for one-fifth of the company's 314 aircraft.
"We're working with Boeing and regulators to understand what's going on...... We will update more information as it becomes available," Minikuchi said.
"My heart is with those who are on this plane. I'm sorry for what you've been through. ”