Apple iPhone survives 4,900-metre fall from Alaska Airlines flight that lost fuselage panel

In a startling incident on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a fuselage panel was blown off, causing a sudden decompression event. Amidst the chaos, an unexpected event occurred that seemed to defy the laws of physics. An Apple iPhone, which was sucked out of the Boeing Co. 737 MAX 9 jet’s cabin, survived a 4,900-metre (16,000-foot) fall. The phone landed intact on a roadside in Portland, Oregon. A user named Seanathan Bates discovered the device and posted about it on a platform called X. The phone's screen displayed an email from Alaska Airlines regarding a baggage claim for the flight.

Bates mentioned in a TikTok video that the phone was in airplane mode and was surprisingly clean with no scratches. It was found under a bush without a screen lock. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that one phone was found on the side of a road and another in a yard. Both devices were handed over to the NTSB. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that they would examine the phones and return them to the passengers. This also aids in determining if they are searching in the correct area.

The fuselage panel that was blown off the plane was later found in a Portland-based teacher's backyard. Apple's website mentions that an iPhone or its battery can be damaged if dropped. However, in this case, the only part that appeared broken was the charger cord, while the screen remained intact. The end of the cord was still plugged into the phone, but the rest of the cable was detached. Flight 1282 was forced to turn back minutes after take-off when the panel broke loose from the fuselage. None of the 171 passengers aboard the Max 9 jet was seriously injured. The plane landed safely back in Portland about 20 minutes after take-off, having reached more than 4,900 metres in altitude before turning around. The US Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded more than 170 Max 9 aircraft to conduct safety checks before they are returned to service.