The National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that it is investigating an event on board the plane and will post updates when they are available.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said the crew reported a pressure problem, and said it would investigate the matter.
“Although this type of event is rare, our cabin crew are trained and prepared to manage the situation safely,” the airline said in a statement. “We are investigating what happened and will share more information as it becomes available.”
Boeing said in a statement that it was investigating the incident.
The company said in a statement: “We are aware of the accident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.” “We are working to gather more information and are in contact with our airline customers. A technical team from Boeing stands ready to support the investigation.”
“When you have a rapid decompression like this, it's a major safety event,” said Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“I can't imagine what those passengers experienced. It would have been loud. The wind would have blown through that cabin. It was probably a violent situation, and certainly a scary one.”
Brickhouse said the accident shows the importance of passengers keeping their seat belts fastened while sitting on the plane, even if the seat belt light is off, noting that the oxygen mask system appears to be working properly.
He added: “This situation is very dangerous, and it could have been much worse.” “If there had been someone sitting in that seat, and not strapped in, it would have been a different situation.”
Last week, Boeing said it was urging airlines to inspect all 737 MAX planes for a possible defect in the rudder control system.
The FAA said it is closely monitoring inspections of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and will consider additional action based on any further discovery of loose or missing hardware.
The 737 MAX was grounded for 20 months worldwide after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Boeing is awaiting certification of its smaller 737 MAX 7 and larger MAX 10 aircraft.
The FAA has carefully scrutinized the MAX for years. The FAA said in 2021 that it was tracking all 737 MAX aircraft using satellite data.
AFP, Reuters
