US Jetliner Suffers Catastrophic Failure over America: ‘My Heart Goes Out to Those Who Were on This Flight’

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An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff three miles above Oregon, creating a gaping hole that sucked clothing off a child and forced the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.

No one was seriously hurt as the depressurized plane returned safely Friday night to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after it had departed.

The airline grounded its 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft until they can be inspected. The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will also investigate.

Passenger Evan Smith said a boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the window blew out and the child’s shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane.

“You heard a big loud bang to the left rear. A whooshing sound and all the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everyone got those on,” Smith told KATU-TV.

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said the inspection of the company 737-9 fleet aircraft could take days to complete. They make up a fifth of the company’s 314 planes. It wasn’t immediately known Saturday how that would affect the company’s flight schedule.

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