Cause of 16,000 ft plane window blow-out as 'tragedy' averted due to empty seats
The cause behind the terrifying mid-air window blow out on an Alaska Airlines plane travelling at 16,000ft this weekend has been revealed.
Meanwhile officials confirmed the situation would have been "tragic" had the two nearest seats been occupied which, in a stroke of luck, they were not.
Further inspection by officials suggests that a malfunctioning door plug that detached was the reason behind an Alaska Airlines aircraft that blew off a panel at 16,000 feet.
Following the terrifying collapse on the trip from Portland to Ontario International in California, accident investigators have praised the miracle that kept all occupants of the Boeing 737 Max 9 alive: their seatbelts. At a press conference on Saturday night, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that it was likely that passengers were wearing seatbelts because seats next to the blowout, which happened when the door plug detached from the aircraft, were empty.
The mishap depressurized the cabin and caused disarray, according to Homendy, as headrests disconnected from two adjacent passenger seats, one seat's back was missing, and clothing was left in the vicinity.
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READ MORE: Terrified Alaska Airlines passengers thought 'I'm going to die' as window exploded
Officials said seat belts likely saved the lives of many passengers (FOX 12)“We are very, very fortunate here that this didn’t end up in something more tragic,” she added. “No one was seated in 26A and 26B, where that door plug is.” With 171 passengers and six crew members on board, the flight was about ten minutes from Portland International when the panel separated at 6:38 p.m Friday.
The panel detached, leaving a sizable hole in the aircraft's port side, and the passenger cabin experienced rapid decompression, according to Homendy. The chair said that while there were no major casualties among the passengers, some were treated for minor injuries.
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Passengers sat in eerie silence while they waited for the plane to land (UKNIP)
Several passengers said they were sure they were going to die (UKNIP)She theorised that if passengers had been standing, strolling, or using the restroom when the aircraft was at its 35,000-foot cruise altitude, the accident might have been far worse. “We could have ended up with something so much more tragic,” Homendy said.
The chair stated that the blowout caused a "rapid decompression" of the cabin. According to the FAA, this may lead to hypoxia, or oxygen starvation, which may result in lightheadedness, unconsciousness, and even irreversible brain damage. Oxygen masks had fallen from the ceiling, according to footage captured during the trip.
Jennifer Homendy called the incident a "miracle" as multiple people could've easily flown out the hole (AP)
The incident occurred 20 minutes into the flight (UKNIP)The aircraft was at 16,000 feet when it swiftly and safely descended to Earth on Friday. An FAA official said last year that passengers would be safe without additional oxygen at a level of about 12,000 feet. According to Homendy, the NTSB, which is in charge of the probe, will begin its first full day of inquiry on Sunday. The chair promised not to speculate on the reason until further information was obtained.
According to Alaska Airlines, it first grounded every one of the 65 Boeing aircraft it runs. It declared on Saturday that it had examined and cleared 18 of its Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.
Alaska Airlinesgrounded every one of the 65 Boeing aircraft it runs (FOX 12)However, Alaska said on Saturday night that those aircraft will stay grounded as a result of the FAA issuing an emergency airworthiness directive that ordered an estimated 171 of the aircraft to be grounded pending inspections with precise restrictions.
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