In a shocking incident, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX made an emergency landing in Oregon on Friday after a window and chunk of its fuselage blew out in mid-air, as reported by news agency AP. After the incident, Alaska Airlines decided to temporarily grounded the 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft.
“Following tonight’s event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days,” the airlines said in a statement,
The Boeing 737-9 MAX rolled off the assembly line and received its certification just two months ago, AP reported, citing online FAA records.The National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on X that it was investigating an event on the flight and would post updates when they were available.
“AS1282 from Portland to Ontario, CA experienced an incident this evening soon after departure. The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and 6 crew members. We are investigating what happened and will share more as it becomes available,” Alaska Airlines said in a post on X.
AS1282 from Portland to Ontario, CA experienced an incident this evening soon after departure. The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and 6 crew members. We are investigating what happened and will share more as it becomes available.
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) January 6, 2024
A panicked passenger on the flight shared the video of the incident. “Whole door flew off an Alaskan Airlines plane mid flight,” the user wrote.
Whole door flew off an Alaskan Airlines plane mid flight
😳😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/uxHa8wyFR4
— damilare abiodun (@damiskid135) January 6, 2024
In a photo shared by a passenger to KATU-TV, a gaping hole can be seen on the side of the aeroplane next to passenger seats, AP reported. There was no immediate clarity about anyone being injured due to the incident. The airline stated that an investigation into the matter is underway to determine what happened.
“Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure,” the company said in a statement, as quoted by AP. “The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 174 guests and 6 crew members.” The flight left Portland at 4:52 p.m. but returned just before 5:30 p.m.
The plane rose as high as 16,000 feet (4,876 metres) during the flight and then began descending, AP reported, citing data on the flight tracking website FlightAware. KPTV-TV reported photos sent in by a passenger showed a large section of the aeroplane’s fuselage was missing.
