Mid-air Mayhem: Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing after window blows out

Oregon: An Alaska Airlines flight travelling from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California had to make an emergency landing on Friday after a portion of the aircraft blew out mid-air. The Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 left the Portland International Airport at 4:52 pm Pacific Standard Time and reached approximately 16,000 feet before it began to descend, CBS News reported. The video of the whole ordeal circulated online showcasing the plane making the descent with a portion of the aircraft long gone. The flight landed safely a little before 5:30 pm. 

Following the incident, the authorities noted that the jet comprised of 174 passengers and six crew members aboard. "Flight No. 1282 experienced an incident this evening soon after departure and landed safely back in Portland" the airlines said in a statement with no further clarity on the matter. According to CBS News, immediately after the window blew mid-air, the pilot informed the air traffic controller, declaring that the flight had depressurized. "We're declaring an emergency," the pilot said. “We do need to come down to 10,000,” he remarked. Following the incident, both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board informed that they are launching investigations into the matter. 

Alaska Airlines grounds Boeing 737-9 fleet

The horrific incident prompted the airline to temporarily ground its Boeing 737-9 fleet. CEO Ben Minicucci called the grounding of the fleet a “precautionary” measure. In the statement, Minicucci made it clear that the 65 planes will return to service “only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” ABC News reported. “I am personally committed to doing everything we can to conduct this review in a timely and transparent way. We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred tonight and will share updates as more information is available. The NTSB is investigating this event and we will fully support their investigation,” Minicucci said in the statement. “My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants. We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are travelling in the days ahead,” he concluded.