Lucy Devine
An Alaskan Airlines flight has been forced to make an emergency landing just 35 minutes into its flight.
The Boeing 737 Max 9 departed from Portland to California on Friday evening (January 5) but was forced to return around half an hour into the trip after a window - as well as a piece of the outer fuselage - blew out mid air.
Thankfully, all 177 passengers and crew onboard the flight were returned to Portland safely following the emergency landing.
“Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure,” the airline said.
Since the incident, the Alaska Airlines has assured passengers that it would temporarily ground its other 737 Max 9 aircrafts in order to carry out tests and checks.
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In a statement, Alaska Airlines' CEO Ben Minicucci said: "Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections.
"We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days. I am personally committed to doing everything we can to conduct this review in a timely and transparent way.
"We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred tonight, and will share updates as more is available."
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Speaking of the terrifying experience, Minicucci added: "My heart goes out to those who were on this flight - I am so sorry for what you experienced.
"I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants."
A passenger who was traveling on the flight sent a photo to KATU-TV news which showed a huge hole in one side of the plane.
Meanwhile, other photos show a large section of the flight's fuselage missing. The fuselage is the main body of the aircraft.
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It is believed that the particular aircraft received its certification only two months ago, but more information is being gathered.
Meanwhile, The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating the incident.
One passenger posting about the incident on TikTok said it was 'lucky' that no-one had been sat next to the gaping hole.
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"A part of the plane flew off not even 20 min into our flight," they wrote.
"Flew back for an emergency landing. It wasn't even the emergency door because we were in the back half. It was just a random piece of the plane.
"Everyone on the plane is okay, luckily there was no one seated next to the window."