Alaska Airlines grounds 737-9 aircraft after midair window blowout on flight from Portland, Oregon
Alaska Airlines grounded all of its Boeing 737-9 aircraft, hours after a window and piece of fuselage on one such plane blew out in midair and forced an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff Friday and the gaping hole caused the cabin to depressurize. Flight data showed the plane climbed to 16,000 feet before returning to Portland International Airport. The airline says the plane landed safely with 174 passengers and six crew members. Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci says the airline is taking “the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft.” Each aircraft will be returned to service after full maintenance and safety inspections, which Minicucci says the airline anticipates completing within days.