Detached Boeing Part Found in Garden

On Friday, a part of a cabin wall from a Boeing 737 detached and crashed during a domestic flight in the US. It has now been discovered in the garden of a teacher from Portland, Oregon.

The cabin part from a Boeing 737 Max, which had detached during a flight in the US, has been found. Jennifer Homendy from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed the discovery during a press conference, stating that a teacher in Portland had sent photos of the found item to the agency.

“We will now collect it and ensure that we begin the analysis,” Homendy said. According to the NTSB, the recovered piece is a cover plate for an unused emergency exit, also known as a “door post.”

Loud noise, hole in the aircraft’s wall

The aircraft, with the flight number 1282 from Alaska Airlines, took off from Portland in the northwest of the US and was en route to Ontario, California when, according to passengers, a section of the cabin wall with a window blew out shortly after takeoff. Passengers informed “The Oregonian” newspaper that there was a loud noise followed by air rushing in through the hole.

Fortunately, the seat next to the window was unoccupied, and ultimately, none of the 171 passengers were seriously injured. The plane turned back and made an emergency landing in Portland about 20 minutes later.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary grounding order for over 170 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft. Airlines worldwide temporarily removed these aircraft from service, resulting in dozens of flight cancellations over the weekend.

Regarding the status of the investigation, Homendy stated that on three previous flights, a warning light had illuminated in the aircraft indicating an automatic pressurization system failure. She mentioned that these were “harmless” incidents that were reported and inspected. Whether there is a connection between the light illumination and the detachment of the cabin part is currently unknown.