Emergency Exit Cover Found Containing 'Key Clue' Lost During US Flight

Found in Portland Home Backyard
Another Key Audio Recording Evidence Has Been Deleted

The emergency exit door cover torn off from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which made an emergency landing due to a hole in the fuselage during flight, has been found. Earlier, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) requested that anyone who finds the emergency exit door cover report it, stating it would be a key clue in the investigation. It was also confirmed that all cockpit voice recordings, another crucial clue, had been erased.

An investigator from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is examining the emergency exit door plug of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on the 7th (local time).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The NTSB announced that the torn-off emergency exit door cover (door plug) from the emergency-landed Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was found in the backyard of a residence in Portland, Oregon. On the 7th (local time), Bloomberg News and others reported that the homeowner, a school teacher, discovered it that evening and reported it to the NTSB.

Earlier, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that the door plug from the accident aircraft would be a key clue in the investigation and asked the public to report it to local police or authorities if found. The authorities expressed their gratitude to the citizen who provided the tip.

However, nothing was found on the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), which was considered another key clue. Chair Homendy explained that after analyzing the CVR, which records conversations inside the cockpit and communications with air traffic control, no data was found because another recording had been overlaid on the accident audio.

The CVR is a device that records conversations between pilots and communications with air traffic control and is known as the aircraft's black box.

Chair Homendy explained, "The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was completely overwritten. Nothing remained. After two hours, recordings are overwritten again, so nothing was left on the CVR."

Since the CVR records new audio by erasing previous recordings, the NTSB has been pushing to extend the recording time to 25 hours. Chair Homendy emphasized, "If communications are not recorded, it is a loss not only for us and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) but also for safety. CVR information is crucial not only for investigations but also for improving aviation safety."

Additionally, the aircraft involved in this accident was reported to have warning lights illuminated due to pressure system abnormalities during its previous three flights. However, it has not yet been determined whether there is any connection between these warning lights and the current accident.

Earlier, on the 5th, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, carrying 177 passengers and departing from Portland, made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff when a refrigerator-sized hole appeared near the emergency exit in the air.

With cabin pressure rapidly dropping and oxygen masks deployed, the aircraft dramatically returned to Portland and made an emergency landing amid the risk of a major accident. There were no fatalities or serious injuries, but some passengers' belongings reportedly flew out of the aircraft.

U.S. aviation authorities have ordered a complete grounding of 171 aircraft of the same model until safety can be assured. Korean airlines do not operate this aircraft model.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.