| | | | | | | Hello. I might be slightly late depending on which etiquette guide you trust, but I still want to wish you a happy new year as I’m getting back to work. Today we’re looking into the investigation on the accident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing aircraft, and how it might affect the American manufacturer. In Kyiv, Jessica Parker speaks to members of a secret group who say they are gathering intelligence for Ukraine from occupied Crimea. Stick around for a culinary guide to Taiwan’s politics. |
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| | | | | | Questions Answered | | Behind the investigation on Alaska Airlines accident | | | | Alaska Airlines grounded its entire fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in the immediate aftermath of the accident. Credit: Elizabeth / BBC |
| | Last Friday, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, reached 16,000ft (4,876m) when it began an emergency descent. Passengers on board said a large section of the plane's outer shell fell to the ground shortly after take-off. None of them were hurt. Now, investigators are trying to find out what happened. | | | | Theo Leggett, Business correspondent |
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| | What caused the accident? | | The section that fell from the sky was a 27kg (60lb) part of the shell. Known as a door plug, this was used to fill an emergency exit that was built into the plane but not needed by Alaska Airlines. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSF), which is investigating the accident, has already said it does not suspect a design flaw. This type of door has been used since 2006 and has not suffered any serious issues. | | What will be the focus of the investigation? | | The focus is likely to be on whether the door itself could have been faulty, and whether it was bolted in place correctly. It was produced by Boeing's supplier Spirit AeroSystems, which has previously faced criticism for serious quality control failures. But Boeing itself has been accused of cutting corners on the production line. The company insists that is not the case today, and emphasises that safety is its first priority. | | What are the next steps? | | The NTSB will examine the plane itself, the lost door, the contents of the flight data recorder and maintenance records. It will also interview flight crew, maintenance staff and employees. The investigation is not meant to apportion blame, but there is clear jeopardy for Boeing. The 737 Max is its bestselling aircraft because of its low running costs and fuel efficiency. | | | | • | First findings: Investigators say pilots reported pressurisation warning lights on three previous flights made by the airplane involved in the accident, but it’s unclear whether there is a link between them and the incident. | | • | ‘Thank you Bob’: The 27kg “door plug” was found in the backyard of a Portland schoolteacher named Bob, and was retrieved by investigators. Here’s more on this story. |
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| AT THE SCENE | Kyiv, Ukraine | | The group spying on Russia in occupied Crimea | | | | Atesh members say their intelligence has contributed to a Ukrainian strike on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in September 2023. Credit: Reuters | | Operatives of Atesh, a secret group mainly based in occupied Crimea, say their intelligence has helped Ukrainian strikes on high-profile Russian targets. Military bloggers in Russia dismiss the network as an online invention of Ukrainian intelligence, but the group is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Kremlin, according to Russian media. | | | "I had a hunch that someone was watching me. My heart was pounding." A man, who we're calling Agent One, takes photos as he crouches down in some bushes. He tells us he's part of a group called Atesh - a word that means fire in Crimean Tatar. And via a messaging app, he describes his secret life to the BBC: spying on Russian forces in occupied Crimea. "For probably two weeks, I planned in my head how and what I would do," he says. "Planned the route, the main backup, what I should say in case I was noticed."
Agent One is thorough. He takes multiple shots from multiple angles. But it's dangerous - potentially deadly - work. On one occasion, moments after investigating a site, he noticed a group of Russian servicemen nearby. "[That] was a terrible moment," he says. "I managed to lean down [by a] car and pretended that I had a problem with the wheel. Miraculously, they just didn't talk to me.” |
| | | | • | Ukrainian children: Kyiv has condemned a decree signed by President Putin making it possible to confer Russian citizenship on Ukrainian children moved to Russia. | | • | On the Russian side of the border: Russia has started moving some residents from the city of Belgorod following attacks by Ukraine killing 25. |
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| | The big picture | | Meet the family, gorilla edition | | | | Mpungwe and his family are among the last remaining eastern lowland gorillas in DR Congo Credit: BBC/Off the Fence/Vianet Djenguet |
| | Conservationists in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park invited wildlife cameraman Vianet Djenguet to document their attempts to get silverback gorilla Mpungwe and his family used to the presence of humans. It’s a process called habituation that aims to save the mammals from extinction. After a hair-raising first encounter, Djenguet managed to earn Mpungwe’s respect and took intimate portraits of the gorilla family. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | Films to watch in 2024 | | A range of sequels will hit cinema screens in the next 12 months. | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | Tech Decoded Newsletter | | Decode the biggest developments in global technology with a twice-weekly email. | | |
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– Jules
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