Guwahati: It was a mid-air scare for all the passengers onboard after the exit door shattered on an Alaska Airlines plane flying from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California.
The whole incident caused a loss of cabin pressure and forced the pilot to make an emergency landing back at Portland International Airport on Friday evening.
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Chaotic screams and scenes erupted mid-air when the incident occurred on Alaska flight 1282, a Boeing 737-9 MAX that had been certified by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in November 2023, just two months before the flight, according to FAA records available online.
The plane’s oxygen masks dropped down, and many passengers used them as they waited for the plane to return to the airport.
The plane was carrying 174 passengers and six crew members and all are safe.
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Alaska Airlines later wrote on X about the incident. It read, “AS1282 from Portland to Ontario, CA 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.”
Some videos that were shared on social media showed passengers wearing oxygen masks and sitting calmly as the plane landed safely.
The hole in the wall of the plane was clearly visible, with the lights of Portland shining through.
One Boeing employee said in an internal message that the 737 Max was “designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys.”