Editor’s note: This headline has been edited to specify the model of the grounded jets.
Alaska Airlines has announced that it is grounding its entire fleet of Boeing 737 MAX-9 jets after a gaping hole opened in the cabin of a Southern California-bound flight Friday evening.
The terrifying incident happened on Alaska Flight 1282, which had just taken off from Portland International Airport in Oregon and was headed for Ontario, California.
Passengers reported hearing a “loud boom” about 20 minutes into the flight, and one woman told KTLA that a mother and her teenage son were seated in that row.
“The oxygen masks dropped down, and I look to my left and hear and see wind blasting, with a piece of the wall gone,” passenger Elizabeth Le said. “I looked up and saw that the son’s shirt was completely off, and his skin was very red, most likely due to the cold air. I heard after from the son’s friend that the mom had to drag him back into the plane after the piece flew off.”
“I can’t even imagine how that felt,” she said.
The pilots quickly turned the plane around and made an emergency landing at PDX. No major injuries to the 171 passengers or six crewmembers aboard were reported, but some had their belongings sucked out of the plane.
In a statement, Alaska Airlines emphasized that safety is a “foundational value,” and as a precaution, they would be temporarily grounding their entire fleet of 65 Boeing 737 MAX-9 planes.
“Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” read the statement, authored by the company’s CEO Ben Minicucci. “We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the coming days.”
“My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced,” Minicucci added. “I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants.”
The Flight Attendants union supported the decision to ground the planes, saying that they believe it is “a prudent and necessary step toward ensuring the safety of all crew and passengers.”
At least 160 Alaska Airlines flights were canceled on Saturday due to the grounding order. Boeing MAX-9 aircraft have been in service since Oct. 2023, according to FAA records.
Just before 10 a.m. Saturday morning, federal aviation officials announced that 171 Boeing 737 MAX-9 planes worldwide, including “certain aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory” must be inspected as part of an Emergency Airworthiness Directive.
The NTSB is handling the investigation into what caused the hole to blow open.
Following the Alaska Airlines incident, United Airlines announced Saturday night it would temporarily suspend service on select Boeing 737 MAX-9 jets to conduct an inspection required by the FAA.
