Description

On 5 January 2024, a Boeing 737-9 (N704AL) which had only recently been delivered to Alaska Airlines was used on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Portland to Ontario CA as AS1282. It was climbing through 14,800 feet in day visual conditions (VMC) six minutes after takeoff when a loud bang was followed by a rapid decompression. The immediate cause was the appearance of a door-sized opening in the rear cabin. The crew declared an emergency and the flight landed back at Portland fourteen minutes later. No passengers were immediately adjacent to the opening, and the injuries to seven passengers and one of the cabin crew in the vicinity were minor. Minor internal damage occurred to the passenger cabin in the immediate vicinity of the opening. The piece of detached fuselage structure was found in the back yard of a private house in Beaverton and recovered for examination, but most of the associated bolts and fittings were not found.