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Eight months after Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 passenger door jam burst Emily Vipruder It tells the story of the harrowing experiences of everyone on board.
The pilot, who was the co-pilot on the infamous flight, spoke to CBS News and admitted she didn’t realize the extent of the damage when it first happened. Wiprud recalled hearing an explosion and a loud “whoosh of air” before her body was forced forward.
January 2024
According to Wipruder, she looked back through the cockpit door, which was open at the time, and “saw pipes hanging inside the cabin.”
The pilot went into emergency mode and began preparing a safe landing strategy… unaware that there was a huge gap in the wall of the aircraft.
She added… “I didn’t know there was a hole in the plane until we landed. I knew something had gone catastrophically wrong.”
Amid the chaos in the cockpit, Vipruder had difficulty communicating with air traffic control because her earphones had been ripped off.
However, according to Wiprud, the plane’s cabin was surprisingly calm… which was shocking to the pilot given the nature of the situation.
During the crisis, flight attendants told her there were “empty seats and injuries” after the plane was damaged… leaving Wiprud worried they might lose some of the 171 passengers on board.
Thankfully, no one died in the incident… although one passenger, a teenage boy, did have his shirt ripped from his body.
The young man was seated in the row where the panel exploded… but was quickly moved to another seat, causing a brief panic that he was missing.
Preliminary findings found 4 critical bolts missing From the door stopper, which is essential to hold it in place.
The FBI, Justice Department and Federal Aviation Administration are all investigating the incident… Boeing, which built the plane, is cooperating with the investigation.
