The Portland science teacher who found the door plug that flew off the Alaska Airlines plane has spoken out about his momentous discovery – even explaining the physics behind the object’s 16,000-foot plunge.
Bob Sauer, 64, who teaches at the private Catlin Gabel School, was previously known only by his first name after he found a door plug from the ill-fated Boeing 737 MAX 9 two days after Friday’s explosion.
The physics teacher decided to grab a flashlight and search his yard Sunday night after his ex-wife called to tell him that authorities believed the door might have landed in the area, The Oregonian reported.
“It still doesn’t seem very likely to me,” Sauer told NBC News on Monday evening.
He pointed his light at some trees he and his children planted about 20 years ago in the West Haven-Sylvan neighborhood and saw a white object that he quickly realized was “a piece missing from the plane.”
“It’s definitely an airplane part. It has the same curvature as the fuselage, and has windows in it,” Sauer told The Oregonian of the 65-pound object, which did not appear to hit the ground hard.
As a physics teacher, he wondered if a tree had softened the landing of the heavy door, which miraculously avoided hitting anyone or causing any property damage.
The door plug landed in a Sauer tree after falling 16,000 feet. National Transportation Safety Board/AFP via Getty Images
Sauer quickly informed the National Transportation Safety Board of his unexpected discovery while the agency was conducting a media briefing, where chairwoman Jennifer Homendy shared the good news.
“We’re very happy that Bob found this,” he said, using only his first name. “We’re going to go get it and make sure we start analyzing it.”
On Monday morning, NTSB officials who arrived to inspect the door were thrilled to find it intact and brought it to Sauer’s front yard, where they photographed it.
This photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the door plug from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Monday. AP
The crew told him the door did not fall from the plane directly overhead. He explained air resistance, wind speed and the plane’s velocity all play a role in where it lands.
When Sauer arrived at school in the morning for his astronomy class, several students and teachers were already waiting expectantly to ask, “Are you Bob?”
He spent the first part of the class discussing the physics involved in plummeting, including reaching terminal velocity, the maximum speed an object can reach as it falls, according to the outlet.
“When something falls through the air, it reaches a terminal velocity,” he told The Oregonian. “The door goes down through the tree so it doesn’t make any dents or anything in the ground.”
Sauer, who has taught physics, astronomy, geology and chemistry at Catlin Gabel for 23 years, displayed an NTSB “Special Operations” patch and a board member’s medal he received for his efforts.
Homendy said the NTSB has offered to send officials to Sauer’s class for a presentation on how the agency conducts such investigations to improve safety.
“If it’s not finals week, I’m going to try to take them up on that,” he told NBC News after complaining that he was behind in grading his students.
But he told The Oregonian that he must “wonder what exactly happened to cause this,” referring to the incident that left a gaping hole in the plane’s fuselage and threatened the safety of all 177 people on board.
Meanwhile, he had signed his notes and emails: “The Bob, finder of missing plane parts.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
