Happening now: NTSB to determine probable cause of Boeing in-flight door blowout
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, an opening is seen in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
By KIRO 7 News Staff
WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hear findings from investigators to determine the probable cause of an in-flight blowout of an exit door on a Boeing plane.
On Jan. 5, 2024, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 (a Boeing 737 Max 9) made an emergency return to the Portland International Airport after a door plug came off mid-flight, causing the middle exit door to fly off the plane.
The plane had 171 passengers and 6 crew members on board when a door plug blew off the plane, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.
Seven passengers and one flight attendant had minor injuries.
NTSB found the 63-pound door plug and other debris in a backyard in Portland. They also located two cell phones from passengers that were believed to have fallen out of the plane.
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, oxygen masks hang from the fuselage as members of the NTSB examine Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, an opening is seen in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, members of the NTSB examine the hole in the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, an opening is seen in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, members of the NTSB examine the hole in the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, a member of the NTSB examines a hole left in the fuselage of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon after a door plug was blown off midflight. (NTSB)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, members of the NTSB speak in the cockpit while examining Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9 on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. A door-sized section near the rear of the plane blew off 10 minutes after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5 on its way to Ontario, California. (Photo by NTSB via Getty Images) (Handout/NTSB via Getty Images)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, a door plug found near Portland, Oregon after it fell from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 midflight on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, can be seen. (NTSB)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, investigators can be seen inspecting a door plug found near Portland, Oregon after it fell from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 midflight on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (NTSB)
NTSB investigates after door plug blown off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 In this National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) handout, investigators can be seen inspecting a door plug found near Portland, Oregon after it fell from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 midflight on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (NTSB)
Other issues with the plane
Information was since released on the issues the plane was having before the mid-flight blowout.
A warning light came on during three different flights — on Dec. 7, Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, the AP reported. Not all details have been released, but NTSB chairperson Jennifer Homendy said the light came on during a flight on Jan. 3 and after the plane landed on Jan. 4, the day before the plug blew out of the plane. No details have been released about the Dec. 7 flight.
The plane was not being used for flights between Oregon and Hawaii because of the light, which indicated a pressurization issue. Homendy said that the light coming on may not be related to Flight 1282’s mid-flight incident.
Lawsuits
Lawsuits have been filed on behalf of several passengers on the flight.
NTSB will meet at 6:30 a.m. PT on June 24 to discuss their findings.