TikTok user @strawberr.vy captured the descent of Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 Max plane after a large portion of the plane flew off. (@strawberr.vy/TikTok)
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a temporary grounding and inspections of certain Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after an Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, on Friday evening because a door flew out of the plane.
Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said in a news conference that the incident was “an accident and not an incident.”
Homendy said Flight 1282, whose destination was Ontario, California, had to return to Portland International Airport just minutes after takeoff when “a door plug in the middle of the cabin … exited the aircraft, resulting in rapid decompression.” She said she would not speculate about the cause of the accident.
No one sat in the two adjacent seats next to the blown door.
ALASKA AIRLINES flight makes an emergency landing in Portland after part of the plane explodes in mid-air
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was headed to Ontario, California and suffered a depressurization shortly after departure from Portland, Oregon. (Portal)
The flight had 171 passengers, two pilots and four flight attendants. There were no serious injuries in the accident, but some people suffered minor injuries. The airline reported that several passengers suffered injuries that required medical attention, but all have since been medically healed.
“We are very, very happy here that this did not end even more tragically,” said Homendy.
“Still, I imagine this was a pretty frightening event,” she added. “We don’t often talk about psychological injuries, but I’m sure that’s what happened here.”
The door exploded at an altitude of about 16,000 feet, and Homendy said it was fortunate that the plane had not yet reached a cruising altitude of at least 30,000 feet at the time of the accident.
“Think about what happens when you’re on a cruise,” Homendy said. Everyone gets up and leaves, people aren't wearing seatbelts. They go to the toilet. The flight attendants look after the passengers. Something much more tragic could have happened.
WATCH: ALASKA AIRLINES passenger captures terrifying moments after plane part flew away in mid-air
People sit on a plane next to a missing window and part of a side panel from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. (Portal)
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS
The blown door still hasn't been found, but it's believed to be somewhere in the western Portland metro suburb of Cedar Mills. The headrests of the two adjacent seats next to the door and the backrest of one of the seats were also destroyed.
“Each aircraft will only be returned to service upon completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” the airline said in a statement.
The FAA issued a directive Saturday requiring safety inspections of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in service worldwide.
The Alaska Airlines plane was delivered by Boeing in October.
The NTSB's investigation phase will include the FAA, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, the Airline Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants. The investigation begins on Sunday.