- Date
- January 5, 2024, 17:14 local (Jan 6, 2024, 01:14 UTC)
- Place
- Portland, OR
- Injuries
- 8 minor, 172 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N704ALBoeing 737-9
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report June 24, 2025
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting · Board meeting June 24, 2025
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union (IAM), FAA/ Federal Aviation Administration AVP-100, ALPA, AFA, Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, Alaska Airlines
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 20240105001319A
- Case key
- 193617
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 in-flight separation of the left mid exit door (MED) plug due to Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ failure to provide adequate training, guidance, and oversight necessary to ensure that manufacturing personnel could consistently and correctly comply with its parts removal process, which was intended to document and ensure that the securing bolts and hardware that were removed from the left MED plug to facilitate rework during the manufacturing process were reinstalled. Contributing to the accident was the Federal Aviation Administration’s ineffective compliance enforcement surveillance and audit planning activities, which failed to adequately identify and ensure that Boeing addressed the repetitive and systemic nonconformance issues associated with its parts removal process.
Findings · 5
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
On January 5, 2024, about 1713 Pacific standard time, Alaska Airlines flight 1282, a Boeing 737-9 airplane, N704AL, experienced an in-flight separation of the left mid exit door plug and rapid depressurization during climb after takeoff from Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon. One flight attendant and 7 passengers received minor injuries; the captain, the first officer, 3 flight attendants, and 164 passengers were uninjured; and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The scheduled domestic passenger flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 and departed PDX about 1707 with a planned destination of Ontario International Airport, Ontario, California.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N704AL
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-9
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 67501
- Built
- 2023
- Airframe hours
- 510
- Engines
- CFM Intl LEAP-1B28 SER, 29,317 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM Intl LEAP-1B28 SER, 29,317 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Alaska Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- Alaska Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- PDX · Portland, OR
- Destination
- ONT · Ontario, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Heads up display, Data recorder
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.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 12,500 total · 6,500 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 8,300 total · 1,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 160° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- PDX, 12 nm away
Docket · 102
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 9, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 GB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.