For those who already harbor a fear of flying, the recent incident involving Alaska Airlines might intensify those anxieties.
On January 5, flight AS1282, a domestic route in the United States, experienced a harrowing event when a door detached mid-air. This incident has led to a temporary grounding of the entire fleet of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 model operated by Alaska Airlines.
Alaska Airlines took to social media to inform the public about an “incident” involving flight AS1282, a short route from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.
The airline later revealed in a statement that the incident occurred shortly after departure, prompting an emergency landing back in Portland.
Eyewitness Accounts
While the airline remained somewhat vague about the nature of the incident, a passenger on board shared a firsthand account on TikTok.
According to her, approximately 20 minutes after take-off, a part of the plane, identified as the rear mid-cabin exit door, flew off. Disturbing footage showed a gaping hole in the plane’s wall, with the night sky visible through the breach.
Emergency Landing and Safety Measures
Despite the terrifying ordeal, the plane, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 delivered just over two months prior, successfully landed back in Portland.
Oxygen masks had deployed during the incident, and passengers held on to them as the plane descended. Fortunately, nobody was seated in the immediate vicinity of the section that fell off.
In response to the incident, Alaska Airlines’ CEO, Ben Minicucci, announced the grounding of their entire fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, comprising 65 planes.
The decision was made to conduct thorough inspections before returning the planes to service. The swift action aims to ensure passenger safety and restore confidence in the airline.
Images source: Alex Padilla on X and strawberr.vy on TiKTok