Teacher finds missing door plug from Alaska Airlines flight that had mid-air blowout in his garden
The missing door plug that was torn off from an Alaska Airlines flight while in the air has been found by a school teacher – named only as Bob – in his garden.
Pilots were forced to perform an emergency landing on Friday after a hole was ripped into the side of the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane flying 171 passengers from Portland in Oregon, to Ontario in California.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says the door plug – where the hole was made – has now been recovered by a school teacher from Cedar Hills in Portland.
The part is a “key missing component”, according to NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy, in determining why the accident occurred.
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Passenger says ordeal was ‘jarring and disorienting’
The incident happened after pilots reported pressurisation warning lights on three earlier flights of the same jet model – one in December and two in January.
There were also four unaccompanied minors on the flight, Ms Homendy said, with “heroic” flight attendants ensuring they had their oxygen masks on.
She also described a harrowing picture of the incident, with the 27kg panel blowing off the side of the aircraft and causing rapid depressurisation inside the plane, which had not reached cruising altitude.
The force of the decompression led to the cockpit door being blown open while the flight crew could not communicate with the pilots.
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‘We are very, very fortunate’
“They heard a bang,” Ms Homendy said of the flight crew, adding a quick-reference laminated checklist was sucked out of the hole, while the first officer lost her headset.
“Communication was a serious issue… it was described as chaos.”
Missing voice recorder data
To compound communication issues, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) had no data as it was not retrieved within two hours, when recording restarts and previous data is erased.
“It’s a very chaotic event, the circuit breaker for the CVR was not pulled, the maintenance team went out to get it, but it was right at about the two-hour mark,” Ms Homendy said.
“If that communication is not recorded, that is unfortunately a loss for us… that information is key not just for our investigation but for improving aviation safety.”
A gaping hole could be seen in the side of the aircraft. Pic: Kyle Rinker
In response to the mid-air incident, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes to run inspections, which has caused cancellations to pile up for passengers.
Alaska Airlines said it cancelled 170 flights on Sunday and a further 60 on Monday, with more expected this week and other airlines also affected.
Three previous warnings
Alaska Airlines pilots had reported pressurisation warning lights on 7 December last year and on 3 and 4 January.
Ms Homendy said it was not clear if there is any connection between those incidents and the rapid depressurisation incident on Friday.
After those warnings, the airline had nonetheless chosen to restrict the aircraft from making long flights over water to Hawaii in case it needed to turn back to an airport, she added.
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Responding to the reports on the warning lights, Alaska Airlines said aircraft pressurisation system write-ups are typical in commercial aviation operations with large planes.
“In every case, the write up was fully evaluated and resolved per approved maintenance procedures and in full compliance with all applicable FAA regulations,” the airline said.
Ms Homendy had previously said it was “very lucky” the accident wasn’t far worse.
She revealed no one was sat in the seats immediately next to the affected fuselage – and because the plane had not reached cruising altitude, passengers and crew were not moving around the cabin.
No one was injured, and the plane landed safely back in Portland.
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.
It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.
Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters
The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.
A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.
Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.
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Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.
Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.
It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.
In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.
The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP
Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP
The award can be presented with or without distinction.
Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.
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‘I could have beaten Trump’
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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.
Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP
The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The injured pair are now in Kyiv and communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, he said.
Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers captured the North Koreans, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” he said.
“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners.
“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”
Mr Zelenskyy said capturing the soldiers alive was “not easy”. He also claimed Russian and North Korean forces fighting in Kursk have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers, including by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield to avoid their capture and interrogation by Ukraine.
The post included images of the two men – one with a bandage around his jaw and the other around both hands and wrists – and what appeared to be a Russian military document.
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Ukraine’s security service SBU on Saturday provided further details.
It said one of those detained had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” a statement said.
One of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine, according to the SBU.
The agency added both men are being provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions, and investigated “in cooperation with South Korean intelligence”.
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North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.
US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments suggest up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
They believe North Korea has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells.
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