People living in the Cedar Hills neighborhood of Portland are searching their backyards for other missing debris.
The door that flew off an Alaska Airlines jet in mid-air has been found in a backyard in Oregon.
A school teacher, identified only as “Bob,” discovered the 63-pound piece in his backyard.
Another man, Sean Bates, found a cellphone that apparently blew out of a passenger’s hand. The phone was still working and the passenger’s flight information could be seen on the device.
People living in the Cedar Hills neighborhood of Portland are searching their backyards for other missing debris including seat cushions, headrests, and the pilot’s clipboard.
The door flew off the side of the Alaska Airlines jet six minutes after taking off from Portland. The plane was three miles above the ground.
A 12-year-old passenger had his shirt ripped off his body as his mother held on to him to stop him from flying out. Another child who was on board is so traumatized he refuses to board another plane home.
The door that blew off the plane is known as a door plug. It is designed to replace an emergency exit so extra seats can be installed.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are examining the plane.
Alaska Airlines recently removed the plane from long flights over water to Hawaii due to previous depressurization concerns.
Experienced pilot Dr. Bob Arnot spoke with Inside Edition.
“They are very very lucky that it was just at 16,000 feet. At 30,000 feet, at cruise altitude it really could have been terribly catastrophic,” Arnot says.
Inspections on the 171 planes of this type began Monday. All will remain grounded until they have been assessed.
