An Alaska Airlines plane flying from Oregon to Southern California made an emergency landing Friday after a mid-air incident in which part of the plane’s side appeared to come off.
Port of Portland spokeswoman Alison Ferry said in a statement that Flight 1282 landed safely at Portland International Airport.
Alaska Airlines said that no injuries were reported among the 174 passengers and six crew members on board.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it returned to the airport after the crew “reported a pressure issue.”
Alaska described what happened as an “accident.” A photo taken by a passenger on board the plane showed an entire panel missing from one side of the plane’s fuselage, next to a row of seats.
It is not clear how and when the panel became detached from the passenger plane.
The airline said on Saturday that it would temporarily ground all 65 of its 737 MAX 9 aircraft while maintenance and safety checks were carried out.
Kyle Rinker posted a photo from inside the plane on the social media platform Xalong with the caption, “When the plane wall breaks mid-flight.”
A passenger on the plane, who gave her name only as Elizabeth, told NBC affiliate KGW in Portland, Oregon, that the incident occurred about 20 minutes after leaving the Portland airport.
“Everything was going well until we heard a loud bang! Or like a boom,” she said. “And I looked up, and the air masks had opened downward.”
“I looked to my left, and there was this huge gap, on the left side where the window was,” she told the station in a phone interview. She said the wind was very loud.
She added that everyone was wearing seat belts and that people remained calm.
“The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority, so although this type of event is rare, our flight crew is trained and prepared to manage the situation safely,” Alaska said in a statement.
The flight was headed to Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County, California.
According to FlightAware, an air travel tracking website, the flight took off from Portland at 5:07 p.m. and landed in Portland at 5:27 p.m.
The plane was identified as a Boeing 737 MAX 9.
Boeing said in a statement that it was aware of the incident.
She added: “We are working to collect more information and are in contact with our airline customers.” “A technical team from Boeing is on standby to support the investigation.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Saturday morning that he “has been briefed on last night’s incident and remains in close contact with the FAA on a response.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and Alaska Airlines said they were investigating the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board launched a Go Team to Portland to investigate the crash.