Jet With Fuselage Hole Lands in Seattle

startribune.com

Jet With Fuselage Hole Lands in Seattle
Associated Press
December 27, 2005

SEATTLE (AP) - A 12-inch hole in the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines jet caused the plane to lose cabin pressure, forcing the pilots to make an emergency descent and return to the airport, authorities said Tuesday.

The incident Monday involved an MD-80 jet en route from Seattle to Burbank, Calif. The plane landed safely at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and none of the 140 passengers was hurt.

A ramp worker acknowledged that he failed to report immediately striking the plane at the gate Monday with a baggage cart or baggage-belt machine, said Jim Struhsaker, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board. The worker told the agency that although the vehicle touched the plane, he was not aware he had dented it, Struhsaker said.

(snip)

Last May, the airline laid off nearly 500 baggage handlers and other ramp workers at the airport, saying it needed to trim costs amid rising fuel prices and fierce competition from low-cost carriers.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/5804254.html

But thanks for posting.

And Alaska Airlines makes sure they include fundie pqmphlets in all their seatbacks on their planes.

I guess you need prayer to fly on their planes.

Their safety record is worse than Value-Jet.

I fly Alaska all the time, and the only time I find anything other than the standard flight magazine/escape route chart/puke bag in the seatback is when the previous passenger left something there that hadn't yet been removed in cleaning. I've never seen any "fundie" pamphlet in there.

And I believe Alaska has a better-than-average safety record.

Nevertheless, I do agree that their change in ground crews did seem a bit ham fisted. But, as a frequent Alaska Air flier, I've always found the experience quite acceptable.

not something to inspire confidence in an airline. "Pray you'll make your destination safely"

Heven't flown them in a while, fortunately.

NPR reported another jet made an emergency landing earlier today. They said they had a luggage hatch light that was on, so they had to return to the airport.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20051227-1624-ca-jetlineremergency.html

LOS ANGELES – A Frontier Airlines jet with a faulty cargo door indictor light landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday after being diverted from an Orange County-to-Denver flight.

Flight 263, an Airbus A318, touched down at 12:50 p.m. PST, and left at 2:30 p.m., after maintenance crews checked out the trouble and did not find any problem with the cargo door, said Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas.

The hole in the MD80 caused explosive decompression at 26,000 feet. Passengers said they had trouble breathing. (KGO San Francisco news)

That was normal loss of cabin pressure which occurs when a plane at 26,000 feet fails to maintain hull integrity. As for the passengers having trouble breathing, the air is mighty thin at 26,000 feet...

planes with problems in the last few weeks? It makes me immediately wonder why all of a sudden are these plane problems happening or what news they may be avoiding or hiding.

The Frontier flight with the cargo door light wasn't newsworthy. We work precautionary landings every WEEK. The media sensationalized the Frontier story, but it wasn't anything that doesn't happen every day somewhere in the country.

Some (criminally negligent piece of shit) person at Alaska Airlines was more concerned about their job than the lives of 140 passengers?? is this right?

...idea that the hole may have appeared in the fuselage while the plane was in flight?

Don't you think the FAA might want to ground that plane or all planes of that type if there was a possible failure of the fuselage in mid-air? And wouldn't that cost everyone concerned a lot of money, especially Alaska Airlines?

Did that idea even cross your mind?

...nothing to do with the hole in the fuselage?

I'm smelling a cover story designed to set aside the fears of anyone wanting to travel on that airline...or any other airline.