An Alaska Airlines flight turned into a nightmare when part of the plane exploded mid-flight, sucking out passengers' belongings and forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Portland.
The plane, bound for Ontario, California, left Portland International Airport at 4:52 p.m. on Friday, but returned just 35 minutes later after the horrifying ordeal. According to the data From flight tracking website Flight Aware.
American Airlines said in a statement that the flight, carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, “experienced an accident” shortly after takeoff, but did not provide further information.
Passengers said there was chaos as people's cellphones and belongings were sucked out of a gaping hole in the plane.
1 passenger told KPTV The child had to be held down in the seat by his mother.
The child sitting closest to the damaged part of the plane lost his shirt.
Photos obtained by KTPV show a huge chunk missing from the plane's fuselage.
Immediately after the debris blew away, oxygen masks were deployed and used on passengers waiting for the plane to land, several passengers, who declined to give their names, told the outlet.
It is not clear if anyone was injured.
The plane made a safe emergency landing at Portland Airport, American Airlines and airport officials confirmed.
“The safety of our customers and employees is always our top priority, so while incidents of this nature are rare, our flight crews were trained and prepared to manage the situation safely.” the airline said.
Alaska Airlines said it is investigating and will release more information as it becomes available.
