PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The leader of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is blaming systemic failures for a door plug blowout in the skies over Portland in January 2024.

Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 made an emergency landing 30 minutes after taking off from Portland International Airport when the door plug separated from the aircraft at 14,830 feet, leaving a hole in the side of the plane. Oxygen masks dropped during the rapid decompression and objects were sucked out of the hole as the passengers and crew contended with wind and roaring noise.

All passengers survived, but several suffered minor injuries.

A 17-month investigation by the NTSB has determined that the four bolts meant to hold the door plug in place were removed during a repair job, and never replaced.

Investigators determined the door plug had also gradually moved during the 154 flights prior to this incident, before it ultimately flew off.

© The Hill