Alaska Airlines flight 1282, heading from Portland to California, had to turn around Friday afternoon due to a depressurization issue after a window and part of the fuselage appeared to tear off the plane, according to reports.
The incident prompted Alaska Airlines to temporarily ground its fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 MAX planes to complete safety and maintenance inspections, the company announced on X.
Photos provided to local outlets and shared on social media show a large chunk of the plane's fuselage missing from the back left side of the plane.
One video from the incident posted on TikTok shows passengers wearing oxygen masks as the plane descends. The gaping hole on the plane's side is visible.
"Everyone on the plane is okay," the text on the video reads. "Luckily there was no one seated next to the window." Business Insider was unable to verify the footage independently.
According to Fox 12, the section of the plane blew off while passengers were thousands of feet in the air.
An anonymous passenger who spoke to Fox 12 said that a child's shirt was ripped off as a result of the incident. Another passenger said she had to cling to her child so he wouldn't fall out of the plane. Other anonymous passengers told the station that their phones flew out the window.
Alaska Airlines said in a statement to Business Insider that it was aware of the incident.
"Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure," the airline said in its statement. "The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 174 guests and 6 crew members. We are investigating what happened and will share more information as it becomes available."
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it is investigating the incident. The FAA also confirmed the incident in a statement to Business Insider and said it will investigate
According to public flight records, the plane — a Boeing 737-9 MAX — took off from Portland International Airport around 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time and landed 30 minutes later. The plane got as high as 16,000 feet before it began its descent.
The Boeing 737-9 MAX is a variant of the Boeing 737 MAX series, which was involved in two high-profile crashes that killed hundreds. Following the second crash involving Ethiopian Airlines, the plane was grounded internationally.
This is a breaking news story.
