Alaska Airlines 737 MAX Exit Door Separates During Flight

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX operating on the Portland-Ontario route experienced a significant decompression after the rear mid-cabin exit door separated from the aircraft.

Word of the incident first came to light after a Reddit post surfaced from a user in the aviation subreddit. That same user said the seat next to the blowout was unoccupied, but the noise was as loud as expected.

The Incident

The Alaska Airlines incident occurred only briefly after the plane departed from Portland.

The data indicate that the impacted variant was the Boeing 737-9, registered N704AL. This aircraft was delivered to Alaska Airlines only a few months ago.

Flightradar24 data highlights that the 737-9 reached a maximum altitude of 16,000 feet before being forced to return to Portland.

Alaska Airlines issued a statement saying they were aware of the incident aboard flight AS1282 to Ontario and that, as more information came to light, they would post an update.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it is aware of the incident, which saw the 737 MAX land safely in Portland at 5 pm local time. An investigation will now take place.

As part of this investigation, they will cooperate directly with Boeing, suppliers, Alaska Airlines and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

All passengers on board the aircraft could disembark safely from the 737 MAX upon landing in Portland.

The Damage

Images and video from those on board show the scale of the damage and the evidence of how perfectly the section of the aircraft came off.

Interestingly, several statements characterise this as merely a pressure issue. However, the general public has pushed back, saying it is a significant downplaying.

As cited by Jon Ostrower in The Air Current, the photo shows the mid-aft door completely torn off. It’s a door that passengers are often unaware of, as it was deactivated before delivery.

Boeing’s 737-9

Most Boeing 737-9s currently in service are in North America, specifically the United States. Alaska Airlines already operates 65 of the type and relies heavily on it for operations.

Meanwhile, United Airlines has 79 737-9s in service. As for other operators, Copa Airlines and Aeromexico are the two largest in the series to date.