Another Plane Loses Door Mid-Flight. This Time over Upstate New York

Last month, a door flew off an Alaska Airlines plane shortly after takeoff. The same thing happened again yesterday, this time in New York.

Manhunt for Missing Door

New York police are searching for the rear door of plane that fell off mid-flight. The small, private plane had been flying over Stiglmeier Park in Cheektowaga at around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Audio of the pilot communicating with air traffic was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by the account @RawsAlerts.

After losing the door, the plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Authorities say the plane landed safely and its two occupants were uninjured.

Now the hunt is on for the missing door, which has not yet been found. At the moment, no reports have come in about any properties being damaged, which would have been helpful in pinpointing where exactly the door fell.

The Cheektowaga Police Department said in a statement they searched the area where the door could have landed, but so far have not found any evidence.

The FAA is also reviewing the incident.

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Finding the door is crucial to help investigators find out why the door fell off the plane in the first place and potentially pinpoint a larger issue involving that type of aircraft.

The affected plane was identified as a single-engine Diamond DA40 aircraft.

Not the First Time This Happened

The incident takes place about a month after an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet lost its door mid-flight. The incident happened January 5, when the plane left Portland International Airport in Oregon to fly to Ontario, California.

When the plane reached an altitude of 16,000 feet, the door covering the emergency exit blew out and caused the cabin to depressurize.

The plane safely returned to Portland and none of its passengers were seriously injured. However, some travelers lost personal items that were sucked out the door.

Initial reports suggest the door plug panel that went over the exit door deactivated somehow. That incident also remains under investigation.

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