A Hole in a DC9

The National Transportation Safety Board is convinced that a hole in a NorthWest Airlines DC9 fuselage on May 18th was likely caused by a baggage handler. The aircraft, flight 1411, turned back after losing pressurization, but landed at Buffalo - having taken off from Syracuse. The report says "the height of the damage on the airplane, a 12 inch long gash, was approximately the same height as the top of the cab of a baggage cart tug used by Air Wisconsin contract personnel to load passenger luggage onto the airplane." The aircraft was enroute to Detroit when, passing 19,000ft, the flightcrew heard a loud pop and smoke filled the cockpit. The rubber jungle of oxygen masks self-deployed and the flight, with 95 people onboard, declared an emergency while turning and descending for Buffalo. Two years ago an Alaska airlines 737 out of Seattle ran through the exact same scenario. The baggage-handler later claimed that he did not report the fuselage strike because he thought that it wasn't significant damage.