An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX made an emergency landing in Oregon on Friday after one of its windows blew open mid-air after takeoff. It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in the incident, and the airline said that the matter is under investigation.
Videos on social media showed that the mid-cabin window completely disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the airplane. "The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 174 guests and 6 crew members," said the airlines in a statement.
Other media reports suggested that a window was missing along with a major chunk of the plane's fuselage. The flight experienced severe depressurisation and caused the ejection of a large window section and an unoccupied seat.
"Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure. The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and 6 crew members... We are investigating what happened and will share more information as it becomes available," said Alaska Airlines.
The plane rose as high as 16,000 feet (4,876 metres) during the flight and then began descending, according to data on the flight tracking website FlightAware. Meanwhile, the US National Transportation Safety Board has said that it was investigating an event on the flight and would post updates when they are available.
The Boeing 737-9 MAX rolled off the assembly line and received its certification just two months ago, according to online Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records. The FAA did not immediately respond to questions about the dangerous situation.
(with inputs from agencies)
