An Alaskan Airlines pilot has spoken out about the moment a door flew off a plane immediately after take-off from Portland in January. First Officer Emily Wiprud was in the cockpit when the Boeing 737 Max 9 lost its door roughly six minutes into the flight to California, causing a dramatic pressure loss in the cabin at around 16,000 feet. Wiprud told reporters she heard what sounded like an explosion, quickly followed by a “whoosh of air.”
The pilot described how her body was pushed forward toward the controls, and the flight deck door flew open, revealing a cabin with oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling. It did not become clear what had happened, however, until Ms. Wiprud and the plane’s captain landed safely back at Portland airport. During the chaotic descent, Wiprud’s earphones were pulled away by the force of the wind, so she was unable to communicate with air traffic control on the ground.
Nevertheless, the pilots successfully grounded the aircraft to the great relief of more than 170 passengers and crew. Subsequent investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board found four bolts missing from the door. The FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration conducted separate probes, and in March, passengers received a letter from the Seattle Division of the FBI saying they may have been “victims of a crime.” The letter stated that a criminal investigation was underway but “cannot tell you about its progress at this time.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft fitted with the same door plugs, and scrutiny of production processes revealed several potentially dangerous practices. Boeing came under fire when inquiries uncovered rushed production and the use of substandard parts. Whistleblowers began to speak out, confirming that corners were frequently cut in order to speed up production times. The company’s CEO announced his resignation.
Boeing simultaneously faced criminal charges filed by the Department of Justice and related to two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed more than 300 people. The Justice Department accused the manufacturer of misleading the FAA during its investigation into the safety of the aircraft. Boeing reached a plea deal and agreed to pay enormous fines amounting to almost two billion dollars.
