Pilot of Alaska Airlines expresses astonishment: "I was taken aback"
I stepped out onto the cockpit, met with silence. Hundreds of gazes fixated on me. I asked my flight crew, "Y'all alright?" Their responses were filled with words like "hole," "four, five empty seats," and "injuries."
Wiprud believed that passengers had been blown out of the plane. However, a swift check-up revealed that every passenger and crew member were present.
"It didn't take long for us to confirm we had 177 lives on board," Wiprud recollected. "I was relieved, shook."
A section of the fuselage, serving as an emergency exit door on specific plane layouts, had been forcefully ejected, leaving an enormous gaping hole in the aircraft's side. Subsequent investigations by federal authorities revealed that the aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, had delivered the 737 Max airplane to Alaska Airlines without the required four bolts that secured the door plug in place.
From the cockpit, Wiprud could sense something was amiss, but she wasn't immediately aware of the door plug's blast off.
"The first sign was an ear explosion followed by a rushing sound," Wiprud described to CBS. "My body jolted forward, and there was a powerful bang!" She added, "It wasn't until we landed that I discovered we had a gash in the plane."
The deafening sound of the atmosphere rushing in through the plane was so intense that Wiprud's headset was ripped off upon inserting her oxygen mask.
Wiprud skillfully guided the plane to a safe landing, and no serious injuries were reported.
Despite extensive investigations and hearings, numerous enigmas surrounding the occurrence persist. For instance, neither Boeing nor the National Transportation Safety Board can decipher how the 737 Max departed Alaska Airlines without the essential four bolts.
The event severely dented Boeing's faith in safety and quality. The company ousted its CEO and appointed a federal court monitor to monitor its adherence to federal safety regulations.
The discussion about the incident eventually shifted towards the business aspect, with questions raised about Boeing's quality control procedures.
After the incident, Boeing faced numerous lawsuits from passengers and their families, leading to significant financial losses for the company.
