Alaska Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Portland without exit door

An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport (PDX) on Friday night after experiencing a depressurisation incident, according to several passengers.

A passenger, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared dramatic photos with Fox News’ KPTV of a window and a portion of a side wall missing.

The National Transportation Safety Board said late Friday it was investigating the emergency landing by Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 shortly after taking off from Portland.

A large portion of a side wall of the aircraft, which had been bound for Ontario, California, blew out mid-air soon after departure and landed safely back at Portland at 5:26pm Pacific Time with 174 passengers and six crew, according to the airline and Flightradar24 data.

At 7:26pm (PST) Alaska Airlines posted on X: “We are aware of the incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282."

Boeing said in a statement that it was looking into the emergency landing.

“We are aware of the incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. We are working to gather more information and are in contact with our airline customer. A Boeing technical team stands ready to support the investigation.”

Diego Murillo, a passenger, reported that Alaska Airlines rebooked them for an 11pm flight out of PDX.

Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said: "Whenever you have a rapid decompression such as this, it's a major safety event.

Diego Murillo, a passenger, reported that Alaska Airlines rebooked them for an 11pm flight out of PDX.

Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said: "Whenever you have a rapid decompression such as this, it's a major safety event."

The incident shows the importance of passengers keeping their seatbelts buckled while seated in an aeroplane, even if the fasten seatbelt light is off, Brickhouse said, noting that the oxygen mask system appeared to have functioned properly.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data suggest the new MAX 9 was delivered in late October to Alaska Airlines and certified in early November.

Boeing has previously urged airlines to inspect all 737 MAX aircraft for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.

The FAA is closely monitoring these inspections and may consider additional action if further hardware discoveries are found.

The 737 MAX was grounded for 20 months after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Boeing is awaiting certification for its smaller 737 MAX 7 and larger MAX 10.