171 passengers were on board the Boeing plane belonging to Alaska Airlines that was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon during the night (Swedish time).
After only 20 minutes of flight, both detached a windshield and part of an emergency door from the aircraft, which had then reached an altitude of 5,000 meters, according to data from the flight radar program Flight radar 24.
“Safety fundamental”
The incident is said to have been caused by a printing error and the airline is now temporarily stopping the aircraft model.
“At Alaska Airlines, safety is fundamental and the most important thing that we focus on every day. After tonight’s incident on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary measure of temporarily grounding our Boeing 737-9 aircraft,” writes the airline’s CEO in a press release.
Several people’s mobile phones were sucked out and on videos a mother can be seen holding on to her son who had his shirt blown off, reports Daily Mail.
Passengers have told of the loud bang – which then turned into total silence.
– It was deathly quiet, no one made a sound, says a man who was on board the plane.
– We were all calm, but I was close to crying, says another passenger.
Two previous fatal crashes
Despite the drama, no injuries have been reported.
According to Airline Reporter the doors must be designed so that they cannot be opened outwards. Boeing, Alaska Airlines and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched an investigation into the incident.
The plane was a 737 Max 9 and was delivered to the airline last October. The model has previously been plagued by accidents, with two crashes in 2018 and 2019 in which hundreds of people died.