Fourteen Minutes of Terror

Alaska Airline Flight 1282

Alaska Airline Flight 1282 was scheduled from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California – a 1,000 mile flight on 5 January 2024. It took off without a hitch at 17:06. In six minutes, when it got to just over 14,000 feet, a large thud was heard inside the cabin. A sealed door (called a door plug) covering a window behind the wings ripped out and fell to the ground. In the following fourteen minutes, the aircraft landed back in Portland sans the door. The door *was* found.

The door is the standard kind from Boeing 737-900 Max covered up to work like a window in some configurations.

The NTSB is investigating. The CEO of Boeing has offered a transparent investigation.

A similar problem with the same bolts was found by United Airlines the very next day.

There are a number of airlines that operate the same kind of aircraft with the same kind of door turned window.

A large proportion of these aircraft with the door plug are for the US domestic market. A smaller number are for Mexican and Panamanian airlines. A few for Turkish Airlines.

A few notable facts:

(1) With 200 aircraft of that kind, no bolt problem was ever reported before. Very strange. The stock price for Boeing has taken a nine percent hit. This is of similar magnitude in the fatal crash of another Max accident in 2019.

(2) Despite the door being blown off, the aircraft safely landed back with no fatality.

(3) One iPhone went out with the door. It fell to the ground. It was still in working order.

Executive conclusions:

(1) is bad for Boeing. It is good for Airbus.

(2) shows that airplanes can land back to the ground even after a lot of damage.

(3) is a priceless advertising for iPhones.