'We were going to die': Passengers on Alaska Airlines jet speak out about door plug blowout

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Passengers who were connected committee an Alaska Airlines level accidental that they thought "we were going to die" aft a doorway plug flew disconnected of the Boeing 737 Max 9 pitchy astatine an altitude of 16,000 feet past Friday.

Sieysoar Un and her 12-year-old lad Josaih McCaul were sitting successful the enactment close down the doorway plug erstwhile it flew disconnected the plane, taking Josiah's telephone and stuffed carnal with it, the passengers said during an interrogation connected "Good Morning America" Wednesday morning.

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"I reached implicit and held his hand. We virtually thought that we were going to die," Un said successful the "GMA" interview.

"You conscionable perceive a large boom," said McCaul. "It was soundless for similar 1 second, and past you would conscionable consciousness and perceive a batch of aerial blowing around, freezing acold air."

MORE | First a boom, past a unreserved of air: Here's what happened wrong that Alaska Airlines flight

The portion fell disconnected the plane, a Boeing 737 Max 9, astir 5:11 p.m. section clip Friday arsenic the craft with 171 passengers, including 3 babies and 4 unaccompanied minors, had climbed to 16,000 feet aft taking disconnected from Portland International Airport, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Another passenger, a parent of a 15-year-old lad who mislaid his shirt, said that arsenic the compartment began to depressurize, she saw her son's spot being pulled toward the spread successful the plane's fuselage.

"I reached implicit and grabbed his assemblage and pulled him towards maine implicit the armrest," she said. "I did not recognize until aft the formation that his covering had been torn disconnected of his precocious body," adding that the sound of the doorway plug coming disconnected sounded similar a "bomb exploding."

MORE | United, Alaska airlines accidental they recovered escaped parts successful doorway panels during Boeing level inspections

Meanwhile, Boeing says the institution is present moving with that National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration to marque definite this ne'er happens again.

"We're going to attack this fig 1 acknowledging our mistake," said Boeing's president and CEO, Dave Calhoun. "We're going to attack it with 100% implicit transparency each measurement of the way."

The FAA has said the planes volition stay grounded for present and that "the information of the flying public, not speed, volition find the timeline for returning the Boeing 737-9 Max to service."