1. Alaska Airlines flight, with 174 passengers and six crew members, makes an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.
2. Boeing 737-9 MAX bound for Ontario faces mid-air exit door and unoccupied seat blowout.
3. Incident occurs shortly after departure, leading to an ongoing investigation into the cause.
Portland, Jan 06: An Alaska Airlines flight, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, had to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, after an exit door and an adjacent unoccupied seat blew out mid-air.
The incident involved a Boeing 737-9 MAX bound for Ontario, which experienced a door issue shortly after departure, prompting the emergency landing. The flight landed safely back in Portland, with passengers describing the harrowing experience as a nightmare.
Visuals on social media showed the rear mid-cabin exit door wall missing from the aeroplane. Although this door was intended for evacuation, it was not activated on Alaska Airlines aircraft and is permanently “plugged.”
Passengers reported a terrifying scene, with one stating, “I open up my eyes, and the first thing I see is the oxygen mask right in front of me. And I look to the left, and the wall on the side of the plane is gone. The first thing I thought was, ‘I’m going to die.'”
The aircraft, a brand-new Boeing 737 9 MAX certified in November 2023, experienced the incident just two months after rolling off the assembly line.
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Alaska Airlines is investigating the incident, and officials have yet to determine the cause. The airline emphasized that the flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation while such occurrences are rare.
Boeing also acknowledged the incident, stating, “We are aware of the incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight AS1282. We are working to gather more information and are in contact with our airline customer. A Boeing technical team stands ready to support the investigation.”
Air safety expert Anthony Brickhouse commented on the passengers’ likely experience, describing it as loud and violent, emphasizing the frightening nature of the situation.
