iPhone Survives 16,000-Foot Drop After Alaska Airlines Door Blows Out Mid-Air

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX faced an emergency on January 6 after one of its doors blew open mid-air, minutes after take-off. The flight took off from  Portland International Airport with 177 people onboard and made an emergency landing in the state of Oregon on Friday. US aviation authorities have found the door plug of an airplane panel that blew out, a part that could potentially help with the investigations into the cause of the accident. Amid this, a user on X (formerly Twitter) stated that he found an iPhone that fell from the aircraft.

Seanathan Bates, who was walking Barnes Road, discovered the recovered iPhone, which had in-flight activation turned on. He took to X to share the photos of the iPhone, which had a case for protection. He said, "Found an iPhone on the side of the road... Still in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim for #AlaskaAirlines ASA1282 Survived a 16,000 foot drop perfectly in tact! When I called it in, Zoe at @NTSB said it was the SECOND phone to be found. No door yet"

Found an iPhone on the side of the road... Still in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim for #AlaskaAirlines ASA1282 Survived a 16,000 foot drop perfectly in tact!

When I called it in, Zoe at @NTSB said it was the SECOND phone to be found. No door yet😅 pic.twitter.com/CObMikpuFd

— Seanathan Bates (@SeanSafyre) January 7, 2024

However, the iPhone model is not yet officially confirmed. Several users stated that it could either be an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro. The Apple device was discovered to be in good condition and didn't seem to have been impacted at all by the unusual incident.

Since being shared, his post has amassed 6.6 million views and 41,000 likes. 

"Apple is gonna have a field day with this," said a user.

"Wow. I drop mine out of my pocket, it breaks. This one from 16k, just fine... SMH. Good find!" remarked another person.

A third said, "Gives a whole new meaning to AirDrop."

"Wow! That's amazing. The Marketing Department at Apple might be burning the midnight oil, planning to create an incredible advert out of this unfortunate incident," commented a person.

"That's crazy," commented a user.

Another user said, "Two decades later, a replacement for the 'indestructible' Nokia 3310 has finally arrived! Try beating a depressurization and free fall from 16,000ft!"

Alaska Flight 1282 had departed from Portland International Airport and was still gaining altitude when the cabin crew reported a "pressurization issue," according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane quickly returned to Portland and there were no major injuries. Images posted on social media showed a gaping hole where the side panel had blown out, with emergency oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling.

Meanwhile, airlines and safety bodies around the world grounded some versions of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets pending inspections, with dozens of flights cancelled after the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration "is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight," the agency said on X.