Alaska Airlines restricted plane from flying over water before mid-flight blowout, panel recovered

Alaska Airlines had restricted a plane from making a trip over the ocean to Hawaii so the aircraft could "return very quickly to an airport" if any warning lights appeared before that plane's door plug blew off, says National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.

However, it's unclear whether the restriction was related to the door plug, installed into a plane's fuselage instead of a door.

A Portland school teacher discovered the refrigerator-sized fuselage plug of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 in his yard after it blew off the plane Friday evening, CNN reported.

The plug door blew off the aircraft Friday as it flew at 16,000 feet, causing the headrests and other items to be sucked from the cabin and leading to a nationwide grounding of some Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes as well as multiple flight cancellations. 

After the plane's auto pressurization fail light turned on three times over the past month, Alaska Airlines had decided to prevent the plane from flying to Hawaii, according to Homendy. She said it is unclear whether the incident Friday and the warning lights are connected. 

Each time the fail light went off, Homendy said the plane crew switched to a backup system and reported it. Maintenance then tested it and reset the system, she said. 

In addition to the door, two phones that were likely flung from the plane were also discovered in different areas on the ground. These may provide clues to investigators about whether they are looking in the right area for debris, officials said. 

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