Alaska Airlines pilot describes catastrophically wrong moment door panel blew off plane mid-flight

The pilot of the Alaska Airlines plane that lost a door panel mid-flight earlier this year has spoken of her experience for the first time saying she knew something was catastrophically wrong.

First Officer Emily Wiprud was flying the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft between Portland, Oregon, and Ontario, California in January and was about six minutes into Flight 1282 when there was a sudden loss of cabin pressure just as the plane was approaching 16,000ft. 

The first indication was an explosion in my ears and then a whoosh of air, First Officer Wiprud told CBS News.

My body was forced forward and there was a loud bang as well. ... The flight deck door was open. I saw tubes hanging from the cabin.

Alaska Airlines First Officer Emily Wiprud has recounted the moment a door plug flew out of the plane she was piloting six minutes into Flight 1282 in January

There were no serious injuries from the terrifying air frame failure, but passengers belongings including cellphones flew out of the aircraft along with the pilots headset

At first, Wiprud  explained how she did not know what was wrong but that she immediately worked alongside the captain to get the plane back down on the ground and to return to Portland. 

I didnt know that there was a hole in the airplane until we landed. I knew something was catastrophically wrong, Wiprud said.

It was so incredibly loud, and I remember putting the oxygen mask on and trying to transmit to air traffic control and wondering "Why cant I hear anything?"

The reason Wiprud couldnt hear anything was because her headset had been sucked out of the plane following the explosive blowout together with various other objects including two passenger cellphones.

Wiprud then turned her focus to the 171 passengers and four flight attendants onboard the aircraft.

I opened the flight deck door and I saw calm, quiet, hundreds of eyes staring right back at me, 

The missing panel on a Boeing 737-9 MAX can be seen in this photo after it landed safely

The Alaska Airlines flight suffered a near-catastrophe as a plane door plug blew out at 16,000ft

An investigator examines the frame on a section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 

Crucial bolts were missing from door plug that blew off Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX plane, according to the NTSB

The flight attendants reported that they were fine but that there were empty seats and some injuries. 

Wiprud feared that some passengers may have been sucked out of the plane but thankfully that turned out not to be the case.  

One teenager had his t-shirt ripped from his body during the sudden decompression. 

When the plane finally landed, Wiprud, who has two young children herself, saw the boys mother searching for him.

She looked back and her son was gone. As a mother myself, I cant even imagine that feeling, she said.

Luckily, the teen had switched to another seat after being in the same row where the panel had blown out.

The door panel which blew out is also known as a door plug and is designed to fit into spaces on the aircraft when airlines dont require doors there. The plug essentially transforms the door into a window. 

A preliminary investigation by the NTSB found four key bolts that were meant to hold the door plug in place were were missing from the aircraft. 

Investigations were also launched by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI, which wrote to passengers to inform them they may have been victim(s) of a crime. 

Boeing has said it will cooperate fully with all investigations. 

Plastic covers the exterior of the fuselage plug area of the Boeing 737 MAX after landing safely

The door plug was later found in the yard of an Oregon teacher

Wiprud and her captain on Flight 1282 are to be honored with the 2023 Air Line Pilots Association Superior Airmanship Award for the skill and professionalism they displayed during the incident. 

My captain is a hero. Same with the flight attendants, same with all the personnel that was there to support us that day and that should be celebrated. Everybody survived, Wiprud said.

Air Line Pilots Association president Captain Jason Ambros said it was the quick thinking by airline staff that made all the difference. 

The most important safety device on any aircraft is two well-trained, qualified and rested pilots. ... This crew instinctually put their training in place and executed just flawlessly.