Terrifying new video shows Alaska Airlines plane in mid-flight after door plug blows off
PORTLAND, Ore. (KABC) -- Terrifying new video shows the inside of an Alaska Airlines plane during mid-flight after a door plug blew off the fuselage, forcing the aircraft that was bound for Southern California to return to Portland for an emergency landing.
The 2-1/2 minutes of footage, obtained Friday by ABC News, was recorded by passenger Huy Tran as he sat in the row behind the seats that were adjacent to the blowout.
Wind is seen blowing into the cabin as lights from the Portland metro area -- visible through the hole left by the missing door plug -- flicker on the ground below.
The cabin lost pressure and was forced descend rapidly and return to Portland International Airport for an emergency landing. No serious injuries were reported.
The flight had been scheduled to land at Ontario International Airport.
Sieysoar Un and her 12-year-old son Josaih McCaul were also sitting in the row right behind the door plug when it flew off, taking Josiah's phone and stuffed animal with it, the passengers said during an interview on "Good Morning America" Wednesday morning.
"I reached over and held his hand. We literally thought that we were going to die," Un said.
"You just hear a big boom," said McCaul. "It was silent for like one second, and then you would just feel and hear a lot of air blowing around, freezing cold air."
The part fell off the plane, a Boeing 737 Max 9, around 5:11 p.m. Friday as the aircraft with 171 passengers, including three babies and four unaccompanied minors, had climbed to 16,000 feet after taking off from PDX, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
After the incident, the FAA grounded all Max 9s equipped with the door plugs, forcing Alaska and United to cut flights. The aircraft remain grounded while the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA continue their investigation.
Since then, the FAA was told of other problems on the Max 9. Alaska and United reported finding loose bolts on door plugs that they inspected in some of their other Max 9 jets.
NTSB investigators said this week they have not been able to find four bolts that are used to help secure the 63-pound door plug. They are not sure whether the bolts were there before the plane took off.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
