A portion of an Alaska Airlines aircraft seemed to have separated mid-air during an incident on Friday, forcing the pilot of the flight from Oregon to Southern California to make an emergency landing.
According to a statement from Allison Ferre, a Port of Portland official, flight 1282 safely touched down at Portland International Airport.
Six crew members and 174 passengers were on board, but no injuries were recorded, according to Alaska Airlines.
It returned to the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, when “the crew reported a pressurisation issue.”
What occurred was referred to by Alaska as an “incident.” A passenger’s photo from the aircraft revealed a whole panel missing from the side of the fuselage adjacent to a row of seats.
When and how the panel detached itself from the passenger jet is unknown.
Door Flies Off Plane Leaving Buffalo Airport
The airline said on Saturday that it will temporarily halt all 65 of its 737 Max 9 aircraft to perform safety checks and maintenance.
On the social networking site X, Kyle Rinker shared a picture taken from inside the aircraft with the remark, “When the wall of the plane just breaks off mid-flight.”
While such an incident is uncommon, Alaska’s flight crew was equipped with the necessary training and preparation to handle the situation properly, the airline said in a statement.“The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority.”
Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County, California, was the flight’s intended destination.
The flight departed Portland at 5:07 p.m. and returned to Portland at 5:27 p.m., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.
The aeroplane was recognised as a Boeing 737 MAX 9.
Boeing acknowledged knowledge of the event in a statement.
“We are working to gather more information and are in contact with our airline customer,” stated the statement. “A technical team from Boeing is prepared to assist with the investigation.”
The FAA, Alaska Airlines, and the National Transportation Safety Board all declared that they were looking into the event.
