NTSB Issues Findings and Recommendations in Alaska 1282 Investigation
June 25, 2025 — Yesterday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public board meeting on the probable cause of the Alaska 1282 in-flight separation of a mid-exit door plug separation from the fuselage and immediate decompression on Alaska Flight 1282. The Board’s Findings and Recommendations from its investigation were extensive and detailed.
The NTSB could have been reviewing a much more catastrophic outcome had it not been for the heroic work of the Flight Attendants and Pilots of Flight 1282, who worked quickly to ensure everyone made it to the ground safely. The crew handled the incident with professionalism and bravery.
What this investigation makes clear: Boeing cannot be permitted to cut corners in the name of profits. Our union urges the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to hold Boeing accountable and implement the NTSB recommendations with urgency. AFA-CWA emphasizes action on the following recommendations:
Recommendation: “[NTSB] recommended that Boeing continue the certification process for the design enhancement for MED plugs to ensure that, once the design enhancement is certified, all 4 applicable newly manufactured airplanes are equipped with the enhancement. We also recommended that Boeing issue a service bulletin to address retrofitting in-service airplanes, and that the FAA issue an airworthiness directive to require that all in-service MED plug-equipped airplanes be retrofitted with the design enhancement.”
Recommendation: “Additionally, [NTSB] recommended that the FAA notify operators of the circumstances of this accident and encourage them to review their flight crew training programs and ensure that they provide hands-on, aircraft-specific training and procedures for each type of oxygen system in the operator’s fleet, to include establishing and maintaining communications when oxygen masks are donned and removed while participating in realistic emergency procedures training scenarios. We further recommended that the FAA review and revise, as necessary, the design standards for portable oxygen bottles."
The FAA must urgently adopt these previous NTSB recommendations, which are again reiterated in this report:
- Conduct a study to determine the factors that affect caregivers’ decisions about the use of child restraint systems (CRSs) when traveling on a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 air carrier airplane with children under the age of 2 and to understand the challenges associated with using CRSs; publish the study findings. (A-21-40)
- After the action in Safety Recommendation A-21-40 is completed, use the study findings to direct the Federal Aviation Administration’s efforts to increase child restraint system usage. (A-21-41)
Safety must come first, always. We are proud of the actions of Alaska Flight 1282 Crew, a shining example of our work as aviation’s first responders. In honor of them, and with deep respect for each other, we redouble efforts to ensure the highest standards of safety are always put first.
