Untitled episode

EMERGENCY LANDING BACK IN PORTLAND. MINOR INJURIES, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN SO SO MUCH WORSE. THEY DESCRIBED A FLIGHT OUT OF A YEAH. IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE GETTING THIS PRESS CONFERENCE READY FOR YOU. LET'S LISTEN IN. WE'RE HERE INVESTIGATING AN ACCIDENT, AND YES, WE HAVE NOW DETERMINED BASED ON OUR DEFINITION OF SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE THAT IT IS AN ACCIDENT, NOT AN INCIDENT, THAT OCCURRED AROUND 6:38 P.M.

PACIFIC STANDARD TIME YESTERDAY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 5TH, 2024. ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 1282, A BOEING 737-9 TAIL NUMBER NOVEMBER 704 ALPHA LIMA, DEPARTED PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA, AND RETURNED AFTER A MID CABIN DOOR PLUG. IT WAS THAT MID CABIN DOOR WAS AFT OF THE WINGS DEPARTED THE AIRPLANE, RESULTING IN RAPID DECOMPRESSION. JUST TAKING A SECOND, THE DOOR PLUG, WHEN YOU ARE A CUSTOMER SUCH AS AN

AIRLINE PURCHASING AN AIRCRAFT, BOEING WOULD MAKE AN AIRFRAME, ONE AIRFRAME, WHICH IS SOLD TO MULTIPLE CUSTOMERS, AND THE CUSTOMERS WILL ORDER THE DESIGN THAT THEY NEED FOR THEIR OPERATIONS. THIS PARTICULAR AIRCRAFT FOR ALASKA IS CERTIFIED FOR UP TO 189 PASSENGERS, AND GIVEN THE 189 PASSENGER THRESHOLD, ALASKA WOULD NOT HAVE TO HAVE EMERGENCY EXIT DOORS AT THAT LOCATION IN THE AIRCRAFT. ALASKA ACTUALLY ONLY HAS ON THIS

PLANE 178 SEATS. FOR HIGHER DENSIFY CONFIGURATION -- DENSITY CONFIGURATION, THE EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR WOULD HAVE TO BE ON THAT AIRFRAME FOR ANYTHING CERTIFIED AT 200 PASSENGERS -- I'M SORRY, 215 PASSENGERS OR 220 PASSENGERS. BUT THIS DOOR MID CABIN DOOR PLUG. THERE'S ONE ON THE LEFT. THERE'S ONE ON THE RIGHT. THEY ARE NOT OPERATIONAL. WHAT YOU WOULD SEE IN THE CABIN IF YOU ARE ON A PASSENGER

IS A YOU WOULD NOT SEE THOSE AS DOORS UNLESS YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. PASSENGERS ON BOARD THE AIRPLANE, WITH TWO PILOTS. THE CAPTAIN WAS FLYING AT THE TIME. THEY ALSO HAD FOUR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ON BOARD. FORTUNATELY, ALL PASSENGERS DEPLANED. WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY SERIOUS INJURIES. WE ARE AWARE OF REPORTS OF MINOR INJURIES W. THAT -- WITH THAT SAID, I IMAGINE THIS WAS

A PRETTY TERRIFYING EVENT. WE DON'T OFTEN TALK ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURY, BUT I'M SURE THAT OCCURRED HERE. ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD, I SYMPATHIES TO THOSE THAT EXPERIENCED WHAT I IMAGINE WAS TRULY TERRIFYING. SO TODAY WE ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 3:12 P.M. PACIFIC STANDARD TIME. THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR ME WAS TO SEE THE AIRCRAFT OUTSIDE THE AIRCRAFT AND INSIDE. WE THEN PROCEEDED

TO AN ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING. AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING, WE BRING TOGETHER EVERYONE THAT WILL BE PART OF THE FACTUAL -- FACT-FINDING PHASE OF OUR INVESTIGATION AND PLAN OUT HOW WE INTEND TO PROCEED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AND THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS. WE ALSO TOOK SOME TIME TO DESIGNATE PARTIES TO OUR INVESTIGATION. THE NTSB ALWAYS WORKS IN WHAT WE CALL A PARTY PROCESS. DURING THE FACT-FINDING PHASE

OF OUR INVESTIGATION. WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE BRING TOGETHER TECHNICAL EXPERTS THAT WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO ALL THE FACTUAL INFORMATION. THEY HELP US GATHER THAT FACTUAL INFORMATION, BUT AFTER THE FACT-FINDING PHASE, IT IS ONLY THE NTSB THAT DOES THE ANALYSIS, DEVELOPS THE FINDINGS, DEVELOPS THE PROBABLE CAUSE, AND ISSUES THE SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS. SO PARTIES TO OUR INVESTIGATION ARE THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, BOEING, ALASKA AIRLINES, THE AIRLINE

PILOTS ASSOCIATION, AND THE ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS. AGAIN, THEY ARE ONLY PART OF THE FACT-FINDING PHASE. MAINTENANCE RECORDS, AND AGAIN, THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE, WE WOULD KNOW WHO TO GO TO, WHO THE TECHNICAL EXPERTS ARE AS PART OF OUR PARTY SYSTEM. NOW, AGAIN, I MENTIONED THAT JOHN LOVELL IS OUR INVESTIGATOR IN CHARGE, BUT WITH HIM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF NTSB STAFF THAT HAVE PARTICULAR EXPERTISE

SO TOMORROW IS OUR FIRST FULL DAY OF OUR INVESTIGATION. TODAY WAS JUST THE PLANNING PHASE. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. I IMAGINE I'M GOING TO GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT MANUFACTURER, DESIGN, MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, DELIVERY OF THE AIRCRAFT ITSELF. WE DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW WE HAD TO GET ON SCENE. WE WILL HAVE MORE INFORMATION. I EXPECT WE WILL HAVE

A PRESS BRIEFING TOMORROW, ALSO THE NEXT DAY, AND AS LONG AS WE NEED TO, IN ORDER TO PROVIDE YOU AND THE PUBLIC THE INFORMATION THAT YOU DESERVE. WITH THAT, I WILL NOT SPECULATE ON ANYTHING AS PART OF A THIS PRESS CONFERENCE. NOW, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE BECAUSE THOSE WHO ARE HERE TODAY WILL SAFETY AND OUR AVIATION SYSTEM. THOSE WATCHING MAY BE CURIOUS ABOUT SAFETY OR CONCERNED

ABOUT SAFETY. WE HAVE THE SAFEST AVIATION SYSTEM IN THE WORLD. WE ARE THE GLOBAL GOLD STANDARD FOR SAFETY AROUND THE WORLD, BUT WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THAT STANDARD. WE ARE VERY VERY FORTUNATE HERE THAT THIS DIDN'T END UP IN SOMETHING MORE TRAGIC. NO ONE WAS SEATED IN 26 A AND B, WHERE THAT DOOR -- THAT DOOR PLUG IS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS AROUND 16,000 FEET, AND ONLY

10 MINUTES OUT FROM THE AIRPORT WHEN THE DOOR FORTUNATELY, THEY WERE NOT AT CRUISE ALTITUDE OF 30,000 OR 35,000 FEET. THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN EVERYBODY'S UP AND WALKING. FOLKS DON'T HAVE SEAT BELTS ON. THEY'RE GOING TO RESTROOMS. PROVIDING SERVICE TO PASSENGERS. WE COULD HAVE ENDED UP WITH SOMETHING SO MUCH MORE TRAGIC AND REALLY FORTUNATE THAT THAT DID NOT OCCUR HERE. NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO

TAKE A MOMENT AND THANK SOME ENTITIES AND INDIVIDUALS. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO THANK THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION. HE REACHED OUT TO ME TODAY JUST TO EXPRESS SUPPORT AND COORDINATION FOR THE INVESTIGATION. I'VE BEEN ON THE PHONE SINCE THIS MORNING AND ACTUALLY REALLY LAST NIGHT WITH THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR MIKE WHITAKER, HE HAS BEEN COMMUNICATIVE WITH US AND VERY SUPPORTIVE OF OUR WORK AS

WE HAVE OF THEIRS TODAY. I'M VERY ENCOURAGED THAT THEY TOOK SWIFT AND DECISIVE ACTION TO ENSURE CONTINUED SAFETY IN OUR AIRSPACE. I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE FIRST RESPONDERS, THE HEROES AFTER SUCH TRAGEDIES. DEPARTMENT AND THE PORT OF PORTLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK. I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE FBI AND THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. YOU MAY SEE THE

FBI HERE. WE HAVE -- THE NTSB HAS A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE FBI TO HELP US COLLECT EVIDENCE. WE MAY NEED EQUIPMENT AT SOME POINTS DURING AN INVESTIGATION, AND THEY HELP PROVIDE THAT TO US. IN THIS CASE, THEY'RE HELPING LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT LOCATE THE DOOR AND COMPONENTS THAT CAME OFF THE AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT. WE KNOW FROM LOOKING AT RADAR -- WELL, AT LEAST WE BELIEVE

FROM LOOKING AT RADAR DATA THAT THE DOOR IS AROUND BARNES ROAD, NEAR I-217 AND THE CEDAR HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD. IF YOU FIND THAT, PLEASE, PLEASE CONTACT LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. YOU CAN ALSO E-MAIL US AT WITNESS.GOV. WITNESS @ NTSB.GOV. BUT IT WOULD BE A HELP TO US, INCREDIBLY FOR OUR INVESTIGATION COURSE. WE ALSO ARE LOOKING FOR PICTURES AND VIDEO FROM INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT. AGAIN, PLEASE E-MAIL THOSE TO

WITNESS @ NTSB.GOV. NOW, WE WILL UPDATE ALL OF YOU ON FUTURE PRESS CONFERENCES OR UPDATES. PLEASE CHECK OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND NTSB.GOV. WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE SOME QUESTIONS. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, YOUR AFFILIATION. PLEASE LIMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO ONE QUESTION. WE'LL DO MULTIPLE ROUNDS, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OTHERS GET THEIR QUESTIONS IN. YES? WITH ABC NEWS. HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU

ABOUT THE SAFETY OF BOEING 737 MAX FLEET? THE QUESTION IS HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU ON THE SAFETY OF THE BOEING 737 MAX FLEET? OUR INVESTIGATION RIHT NOW IS AIRCRAFT. WE'RE EARLY ON IN THE INVESTIGATION, SO WE CAN'T MAKE ANY BROAD STATEMENTS ABOUT THE FLEET, BUT I'M VERY ENCOURAGED, AGAIN, THAT THE FAA TOOK ACTION TO TEMPORARILY GROUND THIS PARTICULAR AIRCRAFT FOR INSPECTION AND FOR ADDRESSING ANY POTENTIAL

CONCERNS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THOSE INSPECTIONS. [INAUDIBLE]. SO THE QUESTION IS, WHERE WAS THE NEAREST PERSON TO THIS PARTICULAR PORTION OF THE STRUCTURE THAT BLEW OUT AND WHETHER THERE WAS A TEENAGER OR AN ADULT NEAR THAT PARTICULAR LOCATION. THAT IS PART OF WHAT OUR CABIN SAFETY AND SURVIVAL FACTORS' TEAM WILL DETERMINE. I HAVE ASKED THAT -- I'VE ASKED THAT QUESTION MYSELF. BUT I'VE GOTTEN DIFFERENT ANSWERS.

SO UNTIL WE CAN REALLY FACTUALLY DETERMINE WHO WAS WHERE, I DON'T WANT TO PROVIDE INACCURATE INFORMATION. HOPEFULLY, I WILL HAVE THAT FOR YOU TOMORROW. OKAY. YOU ARE TAKING A LISTEN TO THE NTSB AS WE'RE GETTING THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS INCIDENT WHERE WE KNOW BASICALLY A PART