Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, en route from Portland to California, was forced to make an abrupt turnaround on Friday afternoon due to a depressurization issue. This emergency situation occurred after a window and part of the fuselage appeared to tear off the aircraft, a Boeing 737-9 MAX.
In response to this alarming incident, Alaska Airlines has temporarily grounded its entire fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 MAX planes to conduct comprehensive safety and maintenance inspections.
Eyewitness accounts and photos shared on social media and with local news outlets show a significant portion of the plane's fuselage missing from its back left side. A video posted on TikTok, capturing the tense moments aboard, shows passengers wearing oxygen masks as the plane rapidly descends. The video, which could not be independently verified by Business Insider, shows the extensive damage to the plane's structure.
Fox 12 reported that the section of the plane was lost while the aircraft was several thousand feet in the air. Passengers recounted harrowing experiences, including a child's shirt being torn off due to the incident and a mother having to hold onto her child to prevent him from being sucked out of the plane. There were also reports of personal belongings, like phones, being lost through the window. This video shows the damage from inside the plane as it descended into Portland.
Alaska Airlines acknowledged the incident in a statement to Business Insider, confirming that Flight 1282 safely returned to Portland International Airport with 174 passengers and 6 crew members on board. The airline is actively investigating the cause of the incident and has promised to provide more information as it becomes available.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced an investigation into the incident, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also confirmed its involvement in probing the matter.
Public flight records indicate that the plane departed Portland International Airport around 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time and landed back 30 minutes later, having reached an altitude of 16,000 feet before descending.
The Boeing 737-9 MAX, part of the Boeing 737 MAX series, has been under scrutiny following two fatal crashes that led to the grounding of the model internationally. The incident with Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 adds to the ongoing concerns surrounding the safety of the Boeing 737 MAX series.
