Following the events that saw a door blow out during an Alaska Airlines flight, a phone that was sucked out of the plane mid-air has been found in quite incredible condition on the ground.
As previously reported, the flight, destined for Ontario, California, with 171 passengers and six crew members on board, took off from Portland International Airport at 4:52PM on Friday.
However, just 35 minutes into the journey, a catastrophic event unfolded when a 'plug' panel blew out of the side of the plane, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency and make an emergency landing in Portland, per Sky News.
Eyewitnesses described the chaos as belongings, including cell phones, were reportedly sucked out of the plane through the gaping hole.
Miraculously, it appears as though modern phones can rival the famed Nokias in terms of durability, as one was found completely intact after falling thousands of feet.
Taking to X, Sean Bates revealed how he found a perfectly intact iPhone on the side of the road.
He penned: "Found an iPhone on the side of the road... Still in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim for #AlaskaAirlines ASA1282. Survived a 16,000 foot drop perfectly intact! When I called it in, Zoe at NTSB said it was the SECOND phone to be found."
The only visible damage to the phone was that the charging cable is still stuck in the port where it was evidently sucked out of the plane with some force.
People were in disbelief at seeing the phone had made it down to the ground with barely a scratch on it, with the screen not even having cracked despite the thousands of feet it had fallen from the sky.
On board the plane, one passenger recounted to KPTV that a child had to be held down in his seat, and the child sitting closest to the damaged part of the plane lost his shirt, with his skin reddened by the force of the wind.
Images and videos shared on social media by passengers on board depicted a large hole in the side of the plane, showcasing the severity of the incident.
The airline, in a statement, acknowledged the incident, stating that the flight "experienced an incident" shortly after takeoff, without providing further details.
As the plane suffered the rupture, oxygen masks were deployed, and passengers utilized them as they awaited the emergency landing. Audio recordings captured moments after the incident revealed the urgency in the pilot's voice as they communicated with air traffic control.
"Portland approach, Alaska 1282 emergency! Aircraft is now leveling 12,000 in a left turn heading three four zero. We are emergency, we are depressurized, we do need to return back to, we have 177 passengers. Fuel is eighteen eight," the pilot urgently relayed to air traffic control.
Upon landing, the fire department responded to the scene and treated minor injuries. One person was taken for further medical evaluations, according to the Port of Portland.
The Boeing 737-9 Max, recently certified airworthy on October 25, 2023, according to FAA registry records, successfully made an emergency landing at Portland Airport, confirmed by American Airlines and airport officials.
Alaska Airlines took immediate action, announcing the temporary grounding of its entire fleet of Boeing 737-9 planes late Friday. CEO Ben Minicucci stated: "Following tonight’s event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections.
"We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred tonight, and will share updates as more information is available," Minicucci added.
The door of the aircraft was later found in a teacher's backyard in Oregon.
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