PORTLAND, Jan 6: Not long after takeoff, a window and a portion of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines aircraft blew out in midair, forcing an emergency landing in Oregon on Friday. A photo of a massive hole in the airplane’s side next to the passenger seats was sent to KATU-TV by a traveller. It was unclear right away if anyone had been hurt. According to the airline, the aircraft, carrying 174 passengers and 6 crew members, landed safely. The airline said via email that “Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California experienced an incident this evening shortly after departure.” The airline promised to provide more details as soon as they were made available.Flight tracking data indicates that the plane was diverted approximately six minutes after takeoff at 5:07 p.m. after reaching a height of 16,000 feet (4,876 metres). At 5:26 p.m., it landed once more. The crew reported a pressurisation problem, and the plane landed safely, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The organisation promised to look into it. In a post on X, the National Transportation Safety Board stated that it was looking into an incident that occurred during the flight and would provide updates as soon as they became available. Online FAA records show that the Boeing 737-9 MAX was certified and flown off the assembly line just two months ago. Boeing said it was aware of the incident, was attempting to obtain additional details, and was prepared to assist with the investigation.Boeing’s venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle aircraft that is widely utilised on domestic flights in the United States, has a new model called the Max. The aircraft was put into operation in May 2017. All Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft were grounded globally for almost two years after two crashes in 2018 and 2019 claimed 346 lives. Only after Boeing modified an automated flight control system linked to the crashes did the aircraft go back into service.
