An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport Friday night after a large part of the plane flew off in mid-air, according to multiple passengers.
Dramatic pictures sent to us by a passenger on board the plane, who wished to remain anonymous, show a large section of the plane’s fuselage missing.
At 7:26 pm (PST) Alaska Airlines posted on X/Twitter that they were “aware of an incident” aboard their flight AS1282 and said they would release more information as it became available. Alaska confirmed to KPTV via email that there were 174 passengers and six crew members on board the flight.
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The flight was en route from PDX to Ontario, California. It departed from Portland at 4:40 pm. And returned to the field in Portland around 5:30 pm.
One passenger we spoke to at the airport said a child was left in his seat by his mother and that people had lost their phones as they exited the plane.
According to a passenger, the same child who was closest to the damaged part of the plane lost his shirt due to the violent and sudden pressure, but otherwise everyone on the plane seemed fine.
According to the Port of Portland, the fire department responded after the plane landed and treated minor injuries. One person was transported from the scene for additional medical treatment. No serious injuries were reported.
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Several people on board the flight, who did not want to be named, told us that the airplane’s oxygen masks opened immediately after the pressure loss, and several people used the masks while waiting for the plane to land at PDX.
A passenger named Diego Murillo told KPTV that Alaska Airlines rebooked him at 11 p.m. Flying from PDX. But otherwise the airline had not told him anything about the incident.
Murillo said he and his family were preparing to reach their final destination around 2 a.m. Saturday.