Emergency! Alaska Airlines plane loses chunk of fuselage, lands safely

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is ordering immediate inspections of nearly 200 Boeing 737-9 MAX planes following a frightening incident on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Los Angeles. Six minutes after the Alaska Airlines plane took off Friday, passengers heard an explosive pop and saw a hole appear in the side of the plane. A window panel had blown out. Nobody was sitting in the window seat, but a teenager sitting in the middle of that row had his shirt torn off. The plane returned to Portland and made a safe emergency landing. None of the 171 passengers or six crew was seriously hurt. Oxygen masks deployed after the incident but passengers did not need them because the plane had not reached cruising altitude. “My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said. Alaska Airlines has grounded its 65 planes, representing one-fifth of its fleet, pending inspections. The aircraft maker, Boeing, offered to assist the airline in its probe of the incident. #AlaskaAirlines #AirIncident #FAA #Boeing737MAX Watch CGTN LIVE on your computer, tablet or mobile https://cgtnamerica.vhx.tv/videos/hd-live-broadcasts Subscribe to CGTN America on YouTube Follow CGTN America: Twitter: @cgtnamerica Facebook: @cgtnamerica Instagram: @cgtnamerica TikTok: @newstoks This material is distributed by MediaLinks TV, LLC on behalf of CCTV. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.