When the topic of flying comes to mind, you either love it or hate it, and even most people who love it can be very particular about the seat they’re going to have to sit in. When asking one of our very own Osage High School teachers, Mr. Claxton, what seat he thought was the best on an airplane, he jokingly answered “the pilot seat.” This is funny, as the importance of choosing your seat has become more apparent over the years. Through the luxury of social media, we’ve all heard horror stories of plane doors opening mid-flight, which now makes people really think when choosing their seat on an airplane.
Most may be thinking, How can a plane door even come off in the air? On January 5th, 2024, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, we witnessed through television, online news articles, and social media that a plane door really can come off while in flight. Aviation expert at Virginia Tech Ella Atkins stated, “Any door in a pressure vessel is subject to failure before the rest of the vessel.” Her statement raised more questions and speculations on the accident.
As an investigation was initiated into Boeing, the manufacturer of the failed plane, shocking discoveries were made. According to an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing had failed 33 of the 89 product audits the agency conducted. The specific type of plane used in the accident had previously been involved in two past crashes and had been subject to prior software glitches.
The malfunction itself happened 20 minutes into the flight at an altitude of 16,000 ft. The door flew off due to failed door plugs. Door plugs are used to seal a part of a plane that either can be used as a door or can close it off if there isn’t one. After further inspection of the plane after the crash, it was found out that the door in particular was missing four bolts that keep it shut and was due for a maintenance appointment that same evening of the flight. However, nobody was seated in seats 26A and 26B (right next to the door), which doesn’t make the incident any less frightening.
