- Date
- August 23, 2021, 20:45 local (Aug 24, 2021, 03:45 UTC)
- Place
- SeaTac, WA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor, 130 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N479ASBoeing 737-990ER
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Evacuation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- FAA, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, ALPA
- FAA report
- 20210823017459A
- Case key
- 103753
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The passenger’s use of the evacuation slide resulted in the serious injury.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Even though an overheated passenger cell phone was put into a battery containment bag (BCB) by the cabin crew, a large amount of smoke remained in the cabin with a strong acrid smell. As a result, the captain commanded an evacuation on taxiway A spot 6A at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Seattle Washington. One passenger broke their elbow while descending on the evacuation slide.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N479AS
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-990ER
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 60576
- Built
- 2015
- Engines
- CFM Intl CFM56-7B27E, 27,300 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM Intl CFM56-7B27E, 27,300 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Alaska Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- Alaska Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- MSY · New Orleans, LA
- Destination
- SEA · Seattle, WA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SEA · Seattle-Tacoma Intl
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.