Alaska Airlines Window Blowout: Passenger's iPhone Found In Perfect Condition After Falling 16,000 Feet

An iPhone that fell from the recent Alaska Airlines ASA 1282 flight flying from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California survived a 16,000 feet drop to the ground after a window shattered on the Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft causing phones along with other items to be sucked out mid-air. The NTSB confirmed the incident and also claimed that there’s another iPhone that they found to be in working condition after the fall.

While the model of the iPhone is not yet officially confirmed, from the photos shared on X, it could either be an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro. The iPhone had a hard case for protection.

Seanathan Bates took to X to share the photos of the iPhone claimed, “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”

The iPhone was found to be in perfect shape and appeared to be completely unaffected by the free fall to ground from the aircraft.

Alaska Airlines grounded its fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft following a scary midair incident where a window and part of the fuselage blew out, leading to an emergency landing in the US state of Oregon.

The incident happened shortly after takeoff and the gaping hole caused the cabin to depressurise. The plane reportedly climbed to 16,000 feet before returning to Portland International Airport. The airline said the plane landed safely with 174 passengers and six crew members.

The recovered iPhone was found with in-flight activated along with the SOS mode and was found by Seanathan Bates who happened to be walking down Barnes Road. Ironically, the Alaska Airlines is yet to find the window that fell from the aircraft.