Alaska Airlines grounds Boeing 737-9 fleet after emergency landing in Portland

Six unit members and 171 passengers were connected committee Flight 1282, the hose said.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- An Alaska Airlines formation returned to Portland, Oregon, soon aft takeoff aft it "experienced an incident," prompting the hose to temporarily crushed its Boeing 737-9 fleet, the hose said Friday.

Six unit members and 171 passengers were connected committee Flight 1282 bound for Ontario, California, the hose said.

The compartment became depressurized soon aft takeoff and the pilots asked for an exigency landing, according to the transcript of an aerial postulation power telephone from LiveATC.net. A photograph posted connected societal media appeared to amusement a spread successful the fuselage adjacent to a rider seat.

"The information of our guests and employees is ever our superior priority," Alaska said successful a statement, "so portion this benignant of occurrence is rare, our formation unit was trained and prepared to safely negociate the situation."

CEO Ben Minicucci called the grounding "precautionary," saying successful a connection the 65 planes volition instrumentality to work "only aft completion of afloat attraction and information inspections."

"We are moving with Boeing and regulators to recognize what occurred tonight, and volition stock updates arsenic much accusation is available," Minicucci said.

The harm that led to the exigency landing appeared to beryllium successful the determination of a "plug," said John J. Nance, an ABC News aviation analyst. Those are spots successful the fuselage shaped akin to a doorway that aren't designed to open, adjacent erstwhile the craft is connected the ground. They could beryllium converted to doors if the hose needs an other boarding door.

The Boeing 737 MAX 9 has been successful work since October 2023, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

The craft shaper said it had a method squad lasting acceptable assistance with the investigation.

"We are alert of the incidental involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282," Boeing officials said successful a statement. "We are moving to stitchery much accusation and are successful interaction with our hose customer."

The National Transportation Safety Board said connected Saturday they were launching a "Go Team" to Portland to analyse the incident.

The squad volition get connected country aboriginal Saturday and consists of experts successful structures, operations and systems, the NTSB said.