A Boeing 737 Max 9 plane's fuselage panel blew off in midair in less than 20 minutes of its flight on Jan. 6, 2024 (Singapore Time).
Alaska Airlines flight 1282 was en route from Portland to Ontario, California, and had to have an emergency landing.
A passenger shared her experience onboard the flight in a video uploaded to TikTok.
@strawberr.vy Girls’ trip turned into emergency landing trip… #alaska #alaskaair ♬ original sound - vy 🍓
'A random piece of the plane' disappeared
In the video, a hole the size of a door could be seen at the side of the fuselage, about three or four rows from where the passenger was sitting.
The video captioned: "A part of the plane flew off not even 20 minutes into our flight?"
The video then cut to a clip of the passenger holding an oxygen mask to her face.
Oxygen masks drop from overhead in the emergency event when the cabin depressurises, and the cabin altitude has climbed above a safe level.
The passenger then revealed that the plane had returned for an emergency landing.
"It wasn't even the emergency door because we were in the back half. It was just a random piece of the plane," the video caption revealed.
The passenger added that, fortunately, everyone on the plane was okay, and no one was seated next to the affected window.
The video also showed a flight crew coming to check on the passengers.
'How is everybody so calm?'
People commenting on TikTok were surprised about the calmness of the people onboard.
Photo via strawberr.vy/TikTok
Photo via strawberr.vy/TikTok
Photo via strawberr.vy/TikTok
Flight safety experts told The Washington Post that during cabin depressurisation, the pilot would be alerted and descend the plane to 10,000 feet, the highest altitude a human can sustain normal breathing until the pilot has resolved the issue.
Meanwhile, passengers should stay calm and always listen to safety briefings before takeoff, as the briefings will provide instructions on how to put on oxygen masks.
What happened
According to CNN, the flight returned to Portland International Airport at around 5pm Pacific Time (around 1am Singapore Time) after the crew reported a pressurisation issue.
All 171 passengers and six crew on board were reported to be safe.
Alaska Airlines clarified that the part of the aircraft that blew off was known as a plug door, a specific panel of the fuselage near the rear of the aircraft.
"Several guests onboard experienced injuries that required medical attention. All guests have now been medically cleared," they added.
Alaska Airlines grounded their fleet
In a statement, Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said they have voluntarily decided to temporarily ground the airline's fleet of 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.
"Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days," he added.
The aircraft involved had been delivered to the airline on Oct. 31, 2023, meaning that it had only been in service for eight weeks until the incident.
FAA grounds planes
On Jan. 6, the FAA ordered the temporary grounding of "certain Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory" via an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD).
“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said.
The EAD requires operators to inspect affected aircraft before further flight.
The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft, and the EAD will affect approximately 171 planes.
Boeing said they "agree and fully support" the FAA's decision in a statement.
Alaskan Airlines revealed that their voluntary grounding and the FAA's EAD had led to the cancellation of 160 total flights, which affected around 23,000 guests.
"We are identifying necessary cancellations for tomorrow and expect the disruption to last at least mid-week. A flexible travel policy is in place for guests to change or cancel their flights," the airline said.
United Airlines also suspended service on select Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in compliance with the EAD.
— United Airlines (@united) January 6, 2024
@mothershipsg Alaska Airlines has grounded its entire 737 MAX 9 fleet after this incident. #tiktoksg #AS1282 #alaskaairlines #avtok ♬ original sound - Mothership
Top photo via strawberr.vy/TikTok