Alaska Air Crew Testifies About Mid-Air Blowout Concerns

Passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight experienced a terrifying ordeal when a panel blew out on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet on January 5, according to harrowing testimony released by safety experts on Tuesday. The incident occurred mid-air, causing chaos and fear among the flight attendants.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted interviews with the flight attendants, who requested anonymity. The transcript of these interviews, along with thousands of pages of evidence, were made public ahead of a two-day hearing by the NTSB to investigate the incident. The interviews provide dramatic accounts of the cabin crew’s efforts to assist passengers and communicate with the pilots after the panel blew off the jet at an altitude of 16,000 feet shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.

“I said there is a hole in the plane, in the back of the plane and I’m sure we’ve lost passengers,” stated one flight attendant with approximately 20 years of experience after noticing the hole and five empty seats. The attendant particularly expressed concern for an unaccompanied child seated towards the rear of the plane, saying, “All I could think of was that he was sitting there and he was too small to reach the mask and was probably really scared.”

The NTSB aims to investigate the manufacturing and inspection processes for the Boeing 737, as well as oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration, in order to make recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future. This incident has not only led to a severe financial crisis but has also tarnished the reputation of aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

Immediately after the accident, flight attendants who were not authorized to speak publicly described a loud bang and the sound of rushing air. One attendant even mentioned tangled oxygen masks, adding to the chaos and confusion. “I think I was able to (blurt) out, ‘I think we have a hole and we might have lost passengers.’ And then it seemed like I just lost contact. I tried calling back, tried speaking loudly into the phone, but I couldn’t hear anything,” revealed a second flight attendant with nearly a decade of experience.

Not knowing the extent of the situation, the second flight attendant acknowledged the fear of lacking communication with the flight deck. “Probably the scariest thing was I didn’t have exact communication with my flight deck and at first, I didn’t know if the decompression was in the front, if we have pilots, and not being able to fully communicate with the back,” the flight attendant said.

Both flight attendants reported visible damage to the aircraft and injured passengers. They mentioned a teenager without a shirt who had a red face and neck, indicating the intense pressure change. Additionally, one of the chairs was stripped of its leather cover, fabric stuffing, upholstery, and headrest tray table due to the force of the decompression.

Fortunately, the pilots eventually informed the flight attendants that they were going to make an emergency landing, providing some relief and assurance. “So I knew that we were going to be okay,” concluded the second flight attendant.