Millions of people get on airplanes every day to travel around the world. Many people say that flying in a plane is safer than driving a car. Plus, it is often the fastest way to get from point A to point B. Air travel, however, does come with some risks.
When a group of travelers boarded Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, on January 5, they expected the flight to be quick and easy, but shortly after takeoff, they realized this flight would be like nothing they’d ever experienced before.
According to multiple news outlets, including CNN, shortly after takeoff, a fuselage, or plug door, opened and flew off the plane while at 16,000 feet in the air. Courtney, who posts on TikTok as @imsocorny, was among the 220 passengers aboard and lived to tell the tale of the incredible flight — one she hopes she will never experience again.
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Everything apparently started out fine.
Courtney explained in a viral TikTok that she spends a great deal of time in the air, and this flight appeared to be normal. But about 10 minutes after takeoff, things changed very quickly.
“We all heard a really loud bang, a jolt, and a woosh of air came back at us really quickly,” she recalls in the clip. “Immediately, the next moment, the oxygen masks came down from the overhead compartment.”
She said no one even questioned the masks coming down, and she looked around to see if any children were nearby or anyone who needed help.
Courtney braced for the worst.
She said she began to think about her family and how they would react to the news that she died in a plane crash. She believed the aircraft would hit the ground any minute. The descent took a long time, and no one knew what was happening.
“I truly thought it was the engine – I thought an engine had blown out or a wing had gone down. That’s how loud and jolting that second was. I thought we were going to nose dive at any second. For a full 15 to 20 minutes that felt like a lifetime, I thought every second that went on, we were gonna start nose diving,” she explains.
She didn't know what had happened because she was in the front of the plane.
The hole was in the back of the plane a long distance from Courtney’s seat. She said although she wasn’t sure what had happened, she knew it was serious. The plane turned around and returned to the airport, but Courtney said no one told the passengers anything. And as frightening as it was, she says she was “totally fine with that. In my mind, I was like, That’s fine, just focus on your job.”
People in the back of the plane had items such as their phones sucked out of the gaping hole in the aircraft. A teenager’s shirt was even sucked off when the door plug blew, according to CBS News.
In the comments section, a former airline worker shared that she couldn’t believe they all survived. “I used to be a flight attendant. The engine going would be safer. I am amazed no one was sitting at that window seat. a miracle honestly,” she wrote.
When the aircraft finally landed, its passengers applauded.
Courtney said people clapped when they arrived safely back at the airport. “We landed smoothly somehow, and everybody starts clapping. Only time I’m OK with people clapping at the end of a flight,” she shares in the clip.
She said that when the plane finally landed, the people in the front realized what had happened.
“Grateful to be alive. Scariest moment of my f—ing life; I hope that never happens again,” she ends her video.
The aircraft incident is under investigation.
Alaska Airlines released a statement that noted some passengers were injured during the flight but were treated and medically cleared. The airline has launched an investigation to determine what went wrong.
“The formal inspections will also require documenting all findings and those will be reported to the FAA. No aircraft will be returned to service until all of these steps are complete,” the airline’s statement noted. “The safety of these aircraft is our priority and we will take the time and steps necessary to ensure their airworthiness, in close partnership with the FAA.”
