Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing after window blows out mid-flight as child who sat near hole loses shirt

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Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing after window blows out mid-flight as child who sat near hole loses shirt​

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Published Jan. 6, 2024
Updated Jan. 6, 2024, 3:39 a.m. ET

An Alaskan Airlines flight turned into a nightmare when a section of the plane blew out mid-flight, reportedly sucking out passengers’ belongings and forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Portland.

The Ontario, California-bound plane departed Portland International Airport at 4:52 p.m. Friday but returned just 35 minutes later following the terrifying ordeal, according to data from flight tracking website Flight Aware.

Shortly after takeoff, the flight, which had 171 passengers and 6 crew members aboard, “experienced an incident,” American Airlines said in a statement, without divulging further.

Passengers described the chaos as people’s cell phones and belongings were sucked out of the gaping hole in the plane.

One passenger told KPTV that a child had to be held down in his seat by his mother.

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The hole on the side of the plane is seen after the Alaskan Airlines flight returned to Portland on Friday night. FOX 12
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An exterior view of the plane and the missing portion that lost its panel during the flight on Jan. 5, 2024. KPTV FOX 12/YouTube
A child who sat closest to the damaged part of the plane lost his shirt.

Photos obtained by KTPV show the massive chunk missing in the plane’s fuselage.

Immediately after the piece blew off, oxygen masks were deployed and used by passengers as they waited for the plane to land, several on board who declined to give their names told the outlet.

It’s not clear if anyone was injured.

The plane safely made an emergency landing at Portland Airport, American Airlines and airport officials confirmed.

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Immediately after the piece blew off, oxygen masks were deployed and used by passengers as they waited for the plane to land. KPTV FOX 12/YouTube
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Alaskan Airlines Flight 1282 made an emergency landing in Portland after a window apparently blew out in the air. DaveAlan

“The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority, so while this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation,” the airline said.

Alaska Airlines said it is investigating and would release more information as it becomes available.