“We are in [an] emergency, we are depressurized,” Alaska Airlines flight 1282 told air traffic control back in Portland, Oregon (Fox). An Alaska Airlines Boeing plane carrying 171 souls on board lost one of its left emergency exit doors while traveling 16,000 feet in the air. Oxygen masks flew down immediately, as the plane seemed in an instant doomed to every passenger. In a professional and swift effort, the plane made an emergency landing back at Portland International Airport.
On January 5th, the Boeing 737-9’s near fate was caused by a door plugging rupturing off the fuselage and allowing pressure to invade the cabin, causing the door to be blown off and falling 16,000 feet to the ground. Phones and even a juvenile passenger’s t-shirt were sucked out of the plane due to the pressurization. “I think in that instant I would text my wife and kids and let them know I might not make it,” English teacher Mrs. Casey stated regarding the incident. “My biggest fear is flying,” she added. Similar to Mrs. Casey’s thought, a passenger on flight 1282 texted her parents notifying them she did not want to die. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) are investigating why this 737-9 and a handful of other -9’s had door plug failures causing depressurization gauges to light up. Since the incident, all 737-9’s in the Pacific have been grounded awaiting an answer. A passenger and mother on the flight described her son sitting near the hole: “He and his seat were pulled back and towards the exterior of the plane in the direction of the hole,” she said. “I reached over and grabbed his body and pulled him towards me over the armrest.” (Seattle Times).
As a result, Boeing is once again under scrutiny regarding the 737. Hundreds of flights were canceled around the country due to the uncertainty of what happened initially. Critics and investigators are calling for the integrity of Boeing’s parts on their planes. Adam Lamki, a Senior at Ramapo, said, “I’d be pretty scared if I knew my plane could possibly blow open due to a faulty part. I might just bring a parachute on my next flight.” Questions about the world’s 2nd largest airline manufacturer putting safety first have risen for years since the 737 Max was introduced. Each share of Boeing Stock has lost nearly 15% in trading value. This incident must be a lesson for all aircraft manufacturers.
