What Happened
On January 5, 2024, a Boeing 737-9 airplane operated by Alaska Airlines as flight 1282 experienced an in-flight separation of the left mid exit door (MED) plug and rapid depressurization when climbing through about 14,830 ft after takeoff from Portland International Airport (PDX), Portland, Oregon. One flight attendant and 7 passengers received minor injuries; the captain, the first officer, 3 flight attendants, and 164 passengers were uninjured; and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight and cabin crews executed the emergency procedures in response to the rapid depressurization, and the flight returned to PDX for a safe landing.
The airplane had a hole in the fuselage where the left MED plug (a rectangular airframe structure about 29 inches wide and 59 inches high) had been installed. Components on the fuselage frame that surrounded the hole, including fittings and assemblies associated with the left MED plug installation, were damaged. The passenger seats and cabin interior located nearest the hole were also damaged, and a seatback tray table, two seat headrests, and cabin interior panels were missing. The airplane’s left MED plug and some of the seat and interior pieces were located on the ground (along the airplane’s flight path) and recovered. Multiple components associated with the left MED plug installation, including four bolts that would secure the left MED plug from moving upward vertically, were not located.
View on scene photos on NTSB Flickr