An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX faced a mid-air emergency when one of its doors blew open shortly after take-off.
In a startling incident today, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX encountered an emergency shortly after take-off when one of its doors unexpectedly blew open mid-air. Passengers captured videos showing the mid-cabin exit door completely detached from the aircraft.
Alaska Airlines quickly responded to the situation, stating in a post on social media, "AS1282 from Portland to Ontario, CA (California) experienced an incident this evening soon after departure. The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and 6 crew members. We are investigating what happened and will share more as it becomes available."
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also acknowledged the incident, revealing in a statement that it is actively investigating the event involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.
According to real-time aircraft movement monitor Flightradar24, the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 16,325 feet before being safely diverted back to Portland.
The affected Boeing 737 MAX, delivered to Alaska Airlines on October 1, 2023, and in commercial service since November 11, 2023, had accumulated a mere 145 flights, as reported by Flightradar24.
Notably, the 737-9 MAX is equipped with a rear cabin exit door located aft of the wings, but before the rear exit door. This feature is activated in dense seating configurations to comply with evacuation requirements. However, Flightradar24 clarified that these doors are not activated on Alaska Airlines aircraft and are permanently "plugged." Investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of this alarming incident.
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 "Watch: Alaska Airlines plane door blows out mid-air, video goes viral")
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