>>> HELLO AND THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US. >> TONIGHT, THE FAA HAS
TEMPORARILY GROUNDED MORE THAN
150 BOEING 737 MAX 9 AIRPLANES
BECAUSE OF THIS.
LAST NIGHT AS IT WAS ON ITS WAY HERE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, A
SIDE PANEL BLEW OUT MID FLIGHT.
>> NOW, THE PLANE HAD TO MAKE AN
EMERGENCY LANDING. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS INJURED.
MACY JOINS US LIVE FROM ONTARIO WHERE PASSENGERS FROM THIS
FLIGHT HAVE FINALLY BEEN
ARRIVING.
>> A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE, INDEED.
THE PASSENGERS ON FLIGHT 1282
SAY THEY HAD JUST REACHED 10,000
FEET ON THAT FLIGHT THEN THEY
HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND REALIZED
THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE SIDE OF
THE PLANE.
THANKFULLY, EVERYONE SURVIVED
BUT THE QUESTION THEY’RE ALL STILL ASKING IS WHAT HAPPENED.
A MIDAIR MALFUNCTION TAKES
PASSENGERS BY SURPRISE.
>> ALL OF A SUDDEN, I HEARD A
BIG BANG.
>> JUST 20 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF FROM PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT, ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT
1282 DESTINED FOR ONTARIO,
CALIFORNIA, HAD TO TURN BACK.
ELIZABETH LEE JUST TWO ROWS
AWAY.
>> THEN I LOOKED TO MY LEFT AND THERE’S THIS HUGE CHUNK MISSING.
>> AND JESSICA, TWO ROWS BEHIND
HER. >> AND ALL THE MASKS CAME DOWN.
>> I JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE MY
EYES.
THERE’S A GAPING HOLE AND YOU
COULD SEE THE CITY AND THE STARS
AND EVERYTHING JUST OUTSIDE THE
WINDOW.
>> ONE OF THE GUYS THAT WAS
THERE, HIS SHIRT WAS SUCKED OUT AND HIS PHONE WAS SUCKED OUT.
>> THE CREW MADE THIS CALL TO
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL.
>> YES, WE EMERGENCY.
WE ARE DEPRESSURIZED.
WE NEED TO RETURN.
WE HAVE 170 PASSENGERS.
>> AND I REMEMBER THE PILOT STARTED TO TALK ON THE INTERCOM
BUT NO ONE COULD HEAR ANYTHING.
>> THE PILOT LANDED SAFELY AT PDX BY 5:30.
>> AS SOON AS WE LANDED, THE
PARAMEDICS WERE IN, FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS IN.
CHECKING WHOSE INJURED.
TRIP FROM HELL.
>> AS OF LATE FRIDAY NIGHT,
ALASKA AIRLINES GROUNDED ALL 737
MAX 9 PLANES.
BY SATURDAY MORNING, THE FAA
ADMINISTRATOR HAD ANNOUNCED THE
FAA IS REQUIRING IMMEDIATE IN
INSPECTIONS OF CERTAIN PLANES
BEFORE THEY CAN RETURN TO
FLIGHT. SAFETY WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE
OUR DECISION MAKING AS WE ASSIST
THE NTSB’S INVESTIGATION INTO ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 1282.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, THE AIRLINES
SAID 18 BOEINGS WERE BACK IN
SERVICE AFTER INSPECTION WITH
THE REST EXPECTED TO FOLLOW IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
MANY PASSENGERS LIKE LEE SOON
REBOOKED AND THOSE SHAKEN MADE
IT SAFELY TO ONTARIO ON
SATURDAY.
>> JUST PRAYING.
I WAS JUST SITTING THERE STARING
OUT THE WINDOW.
THANKFULLY NOT IN A WINDOW SEAT,
BUT JUST SITTING AND PRAYING
THAT THIS FLIGHT WOULD GO WELL
AND IT DID.
>> NOW, PRELIMINARY REPORT FROM THE NTSB COULD BE AVAILABLE
WITHIN A FEW WEEKS BUT A FULL INVESTIGATION WILL LIKELY TAKE
ONE TO TWO YEARS.
MEANWHILE, THE FAA SAYS IT PLANS
TO ISSUE WHAT’S CALLED AN EMERGENCY AIRWORTHYNESS
DIRECTIVE.
THIS IS AN EXTENSIVE INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFTS THAT TAKES BETWEEN
FOUR AND EIGHT HOURS FOR EACH
PLANE TO BE COMPLETED.
THAT WILL IMPACT 171 AIRPLANES
WORLDWIDE.
REPORTING LIVE IN ONTARIO, NBC 4
NEWS.
>> SO MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE JUST
GLAD TO BE BACK HOME HERE IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
JUST AN INCREDIBLE JOB BY THE
PILOT AND CREW GETTING EVERYONE BACK ON THE GROUND SAFELY, BUT
THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF
QUESTIONS SURROUNDING WHAT
HAPPENED.
>> RIGHT NOW, WE WANT TO TURN TO
AVIATION EXPERT, MIKE McCARRAN.
INITIAL REPORTS ARE THAT A
PANEL, A PLUG, BLEW UP.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS?
>> SURE. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IS BEING
MANUFACTURED, THEY DON’T KNOW
WHAT THE AIRLINE IS GOING TO DO FOR CONFIGURATION AS FAR AS MANY
SEATS SO THERE ARE EXTRA CUTOUTS
BASICALLY IN THE FUSELAGE.
ALASKA HAD A STANDARD
CONFIGURATION SO THEY DIDN’T NEED THAT AS AN EXIT.
SO IT’S FILLED IN LIKE A PLUG,
LIKE A DOOR IN YOUR HOUSE YOU
DON’T WANT ANYMORE.
>> AND MIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A NEWER AIRCRAFT, JUST MONTHS
OLD HERE SINCE IT ENTERED THE
FLEET.
THE BIG QUESTION IS HOW DOES
SOMETHING LIKE THIS POTENTIALLY
HAPPEN?
>> THAT’S THE BIG QUESTION RIGHT
NOW THAT THE NTSB AND FAA ARE
GOING TO BE LOOKING AT.
THEY’RE GOING TO GO THROUGH ALL OF ALASKA’S MAINTENANCE RECORDS.
ALL OF BOEING’S CONSTRUCTION
WHEN THEY BUILT THE AIRCRAFT
RECORDS AND TO SEE IF ANYTHING
WAS MISSED, WHAT TYPE OF
QUESTION WAS USED, WHAT TYPE OF
MATERIAL WAS USED AND TO MAKE
SURE EVERY PROCEDURE WAS
FOLLOWED BY THE BOOK.
THAT’S GOING TO TAKE AS SOMEONE
SAID EARLIER, QUITE A WHILE.
BUT THEY’LL HAVE A PRELIMINARY REPORT, SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS.
BUT THAT’S THE BIG ISSUE RIGHT
NOW.
HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED.
>> WE HEARD A SHIRT WAS RIPPED OFF A CHILD.
I KNOW THERE’S EMOTIONAL DAMAGE HERE, BUT AGAIN, NO INJURIES.
HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?
IT’S FANTASTIC TO BE ABLE TO
REPORT THAT. >> FORTUNATELY, EVERYONE HAD
THEIR LAP BELT ON.
THAT’S THE BIGGEST THING.
IF ANYONE WAS SITTING WITHIN
ARM’S REACH OF THAT GAPING HOLE, THEY PROBABLY COULD HAVE BEEN
SUCKED OUT IF THEY DIDN’T HAVE A
LAP BELT ON.
SOME PEOPLE, HAVEN’T HEARD THIS
YET, BUT IT WOULDN’T BE
SURPRISING IF PEOPLE HAD A
BUSTED EARDRUM BECAUSE OF THE
RAPID DECOMPRESSION.
JUST LIKE IF YOU’RE GOING OVER A
MOUNTAIN PASS, YOU HAVE TO POP
YOUR EARS TO EQUALIZE PRESSURE.
WHEN YOU’RE DOING THAT IN A
MATTER OF SECONDS, BUT SO FAR, HAVEN’T HEARD OF THAT HAPPENING.
BUT PEOPLE GETTING THEIR SHIRTS
RIPPED OFF AND PHONES RIPPED OUT
OF THEIR HANDS, THAT’S NOT
SURPRISING AT ALL, THE
DIFFERENCE IN PRESSURE.
>> THE LANDING, COMMUNICATING
WITH THE PILOTS AND THE TOWER. IS THIS PART OF A NORMAL
TRAINING WHEN IT COMES TO A
PILOT? >> ABSOLUTELY.
THE PILOTS PLAN FOR EVERY
POSSIBLE CONTINGENCY.
RAPID DECOMPRESSION IS ONE OF
THEM.
AND THEY HAVE A PROCEDURE, THEY
WANT TO GET DOWN BELOW 10,000 FEET SO THERE’S BREATHABLE AIR.
THE CONTROLLERS KNOW HOW TO
HANDLE IT.
THE AIRPORT HAS THEIR CREWS
STANDING BY.
THAT’S WHY THE WOMAN SAID AS SOON AS THEY LANDED, THEY HAD
PARAMEDICS ON BOARD.
THEY’RE STANDING LITERALLY NEXT TO THE RUNWAY READY TO RUN TO
THE PLANE.
FORTUNATELY, THEY WEREN’T REALLY
NEEDED.
APPEARS EVERYONE CAME OUT OKAY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR