Alaska Airlines Pilot Who Flew 737 MAX during Door Blowout Incident Shares Details

PORTLAND- First Officer Emily Wiprud of Alaska Airlines (AS) Flight 1282 has shared her experience of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 door panel blowout incident.

Wiprud described in an exclusive interview with CBS News that an explosive sound followed by a rush of air forced her body forward.

Photo: By Sam Almo-Milkin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=101025340

Alaska Airlines Pilot who Flew Flight 1282

The flight deck door flew open, revealing hanging tubes in the cabin. Wiprud initially didn’t comprehend the full extent of the damage, focusing on emergency procedures with the captain to ensure a safe landing.

Wiprud reported extreme noise levels that hampered communication attempts with air traffic control. Her headset, passenger phones, and aircraft components were ripped off during the incident.

The door plug, designed to replace unnecessary doors with windows, blew out at 16,000 feet, just six minutes into the Portland to Ontario flight. Wiprud and the crew faced the challenge of making an emergency landing.

Upon checking on passengers, Wiprud encountered an eerily calm cabin with passengers staring back at her. Flight attendants reported empty seats and injuries, leading Wiprud to fear passenger losses.

Photo: Passenger shared pics with KPTV

Captain and Crew were Hero

First Officer Emily Wiprud of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 revealed that luckily, no passengers were ejected from the plane during the door panel blowout. A teenager’s shirt was torn off in the incident.

Wiprud witnessed a mother frantically searching for her son, who had been seated in the affected row. The teen had quickly relocated to another seat.

The flight landed safely with only minor injuries reported among passengers.

Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) president Captain Jason Ambrosi praised the crew’s instinctual application of their training, emphasizing the importance of well-trained, qualified, and rested pilots for aircraft safety.

NTSB’s preliminary investigation found four key bolts missing from the door plug. The FAA, Department of Justice, and FBI have launched separate investigations. Boeing has pledged full cooperation with all inquiries.

Wiprud and the flight captain will receive the 2023 Air Line Pilots Association Superior Airmanship Award for their handling of the crisis. Wiprud credited the entire crew and support personnel for ensuring everyone’s survival.

Photo: NTSB

Investigations by Authority

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) after the investigation revealed that bolts were absent from a door plug that forcefully ejected midair on an Alaska Airlines (AS) Boeing 737 MAX 9.

The incident occurred on January 5, causing a significant rupture in the fuselage while the fully occupied aircraft was ascending from Portland (PDX), Oregon, at an altitude of approximately 16,000 feet. The dislodged panel served as a plug for an unused emergency exit.

The fuselage, which included the door plug and was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems, was delivered to Boeing’s Renton, Washington, facility on August 31. The following day, a repair entry was logged for five damaged rivets, necessitating the removal of bolts, as indicated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The incident led to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounding the 171 Boeing MAX 9 for around 20 days globally.

Alaska Airlines currently has 71 737 MAX 9 (737-9) planes in its fleet. Further, it has five 737 MAX 8s (737-8) as of August 2024.

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