Emergency Landing at Portland Airport as Alaska Airlines Flight Experiences In-Flight Panel Detachment
An Alaska Airlines flight en route from Oregon to Southern California was forced to make an emergency landing on Friday after a mid-air incident involving the detachment of a section of the aircraft’s side.
Flight 1282 successfully landed at Portland International Airport, as confirmed by Port of Portland spokesperson Allison Ferre in an official statement.
Alaska Airlines reported that none of the 174 passengers or 6 crew members onboard sustained injuries during the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the flight returned to the airport due to a reported pressurization issue by the crew.
Alaska Airlines referred to the occurrence as an “incident,” and a photograph taken by a passenger revealed an entire panel missing from the fuselage side next to a row of seats.
The circumstances surrounding the detachment of the panel remain unclear, and the airline is investigating the incident. Passenger Kyle Rinker shared an image on social media platform X, captioned, “When the wall of the plane just breaks off mid-flight.”
In a statement, Alaska Airlines emphasized, “The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority, so while this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation.”
The flight, originally bound for Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County, California, took off from Portland at 5:07 p.m. and made a rapid return, landing back at Portland at 5:27 p.m., according to FlightAware, an air travel tracking site.
The aircraft involved was identified as a Boeing 737 MAX 9. Boeing acknowledged the incident in a statement, expressing awareness and readiness to support the investigation. The company stated, “A Boeing technical team stands ready to support the investigation.”
Investigations into the incident are currently underway, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), FAA, and Alaska Airlines all actively participating in the probe.
Alaska Airlines Flight makes emergency landing in Portland after mid-air window failure, causing sudden depressurization. Despite items, including phones, being ejected, all passengers are safe. pic.twitter.com/izEh90Z82y
— Captain Singh, FICArb, 73K (@captsingh) January 6, 2024