Alaska Airlines Door Section That Tore Off Mid-Flight Found in Portland School Teacher’s Backyard

A portion of an Alaska Airlines plane’s fuselage that blew away mid-flight on Friday was located Sunday night in Portland, Oregon, according to an National Transportation Safety Board official.

A school teacher only identified as "Bob" found the door plug portion of Flight 1282 in his backyard, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters Sunday night.

"So, thank you very much, Bob. Bless you," Homendy said.

Bob had contacted the agency and sent two photos of the section in his yard, which Homendy said appeared to be legitimate. It is unclear if or when the pictures might be disseminated to the media, as Homendy noted, the door is "evidence" and the investigation is ongoing.

Officials are on their way to collect the portion and speak with Bob, she said.

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded around 171 Max 9 aircraft Saturday pending inspections after the section blew away mid-flight.

The plane, carrying 171 passengers and 6 crew members, was flying from Portland to Ontario, California, Friday night when the pilot had to make an emergency landing shortly after departure. 

The Messenger previously reported that an airline spokesperson confirmed that the plane returned to the Portland International Airport safely. Alaska Airlines said late Friday that it would ground dozens of Boeing 737 jets for inspection.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun sent a company-wide email Sunday to his employees regarding Flight 1282. Calhoun called for an all-employee safety meeting and reportedly canceled an annual leadership retreat.

"When serious accidents like this occur, it is critical for us to work transparently with our customers and regulators to understand and address the causes of the event, and to ensure they don’t happen again,” Calhoun wrote in the email, shared by reporter Dominic Gates via social media. “This is and must be the focus of our team right now.”