Alaska Airlines Jet Makes Emergency Landing After Boeing 737 MAX Rips Open
Plane returned safely to Portland, Ore., shortly after takeoff; FAA is investigating
An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., Friday night after a section of the new Boeing 737 MAX ripped away in midair.
The plane, with more than 170 passengers and six crew, returned to Portland safely after experiencing an unspecified incident shortly after its departure, Alaska said. The airline said it is investigating.
“While this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation,” the airline said.
Photos and video that passengers posted on social media showed a gaping opening in the plane. Oxygen masks dangled down.
The Federal Aviation Administration said that the plane returned after its crew reported a pressurization issue. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board both said they are investigating.
The Boeing 737 MAX plane was certified by the FAA in November.
Boeing said it is aware of the incident and was gathering information. “A Boeing technical team stands ready to support the investigation,” the company said. A spokeswoman declined to comment further.
The Alaska flight departed shortly after 8 p.m. ET en route to Ontario, Calif., and reached a maximum altitude of about 16,000 feet before flying back to Portland International, according to aviation tracker Flightradar24. The airline used the Boeing 737 MAX-9 model for the flight, Flightradar24 said.
Two crashes of the 737 MAX in 2018 and 2019 grounded the jets around the world for almost two years. The accidents took 346 lives and drew scrutiny from federal regulators and lawmakers. Both crashes were of the smaller MAX-8 variant.
Alaska has 65 of the MAX-9 aircraft type involved in the incident Friday night, which it has said are ideal for long-haul routes with high demand. United Airlines, which also operates the MAX-9, didn’t immediately comment.