There 171 passengers and six crew members onboard the aircraft at the time of the incident.
A major incident was averted after an exit door of an Alaska Airlines passenger plane Boeing 737-9 Max blew out mid-air, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport on Friday night.
Videos shared by social media users showed the exit door of the aircraft completely open as passengers wore emergency oxygen masks.
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The incident took place soon after the flight AS1282 from Portland to Ontario took off and the airlines said it landed safely with 171 passengers and six crew members.
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“AS1282 from Portland to Ontario, CA (California) 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’.
#BREAKING: Alaska Airlines Forced to Make an Emergency Landing After Large Aircraft Window Blows Out Mid-Air ⁰⁰#Portland | #Oregon
⁰A Forced emergency landing was made of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 at Portland International Airport on Friday night. The flight, traveling… pic.twitter.com/nt0FwmPALE— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 6, 2024
Prima facie, the incident was caused by severe depressurisation, resulting in the ejection of the large mid-cabin window section.
No injuries were reported from the incident, which is being investigated by the airlines.
“The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 16,325 feet AMSL. It diverted safely back to Portland, landing at 17:26, reaching the gate at 17:30,” said Flightradar24, a real-time flight tracking website.
The AS1282 was the aircraft’s third flight of the day. It had flown from San Diego to New York overnight and then on to Portland before the incident took place.
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