Alison Sider, Micah Maidenberg, and Nancy Keates of The Wall Street Journal are telling their readers that a key clue in the Alaska Airlines blowout has turned up in a backyard. They write:
A 63-pound, 4-foot-long panel that blew off an Alaska Airlines plane in midair was found late Sunday in a backyard, giving investigators a key clue as they try to piece together why a gaping hole opened midair in the airplane’s side.
The hunt for the door plug drew in neighbors, local law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board earlier had estimated that the part might have landed about 6 miles west of Portland’s downtown. They asked residents to check their doorbell cameras and businesses to look on roofs, and were considering using helicopters and drones to assist in the search. […]
As a plane ascends, the difference between the pressure inside the cabin and outside increases. If an opening emerges during flight, air in the plane will rush out. That could send objects hurling through the cabin and potentially pull out passengers.
Depressurization incidents like the Alaska flight experienced are rare, but aircraft are designed to withstand them and continue flying. Pilots are trained to move quickly to bring planes down when they happen.
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