(CNN) — The short, terrifying journey of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 this Friday could have been worse.
When part of the fuselage exploded shortly after takeoff, a child’s shirt was ripped from his torso and fell out through the hole, passengers reported, while a mother held her son.
“He tore off his son’s shirt!” a man says in a video posted on Twitter by passenger Stephanie King.
According to FlightAware, the flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California reached an altitude of 16,000 feet at 5:07 p.m. It landed safely at the airport about 20 minutes later, with no serious injuries among its 171 passengers and six crew members.
It was not clear on Saturday morning which part of the plane exploded. Alaska Airlines has temporarily grounded the rest of its Boeing 737-9 Max fleet.
Passenger Kyle Rinker told CNN that shortly after takeoff, a panel, including a window, fell. “It was really sudden. When it got to the height the window/wall fell away.”
“There was a loud bang in the left rear. There was a hiss and all the oxygen masks were immediately deployed and everybody put them on,” passenger Evan Smith told CNN affiliate KATU.
“We want to land,” the pilot told air traffic control, according to a recording posted on liveatc.net. “We are declaring an emergency. We need to go below 10,000.”
After receiving clearance to descend to a lower altitude, the pilot told air traffic control, “We’re in an emergency, we’re frustrated, we need to turn back, we have 177 passengers. Fuel is eighteen eight.”
Passenger Emma Wu said the passengers were comforting each other.
“The flight attendant even came over and told me everything was going to be okay,” Wu told CNN. “The fact that everyone was a little scared and she took that time to make me feel like I was the only passenger… Honestly, that was really sweet.”
As King’s video shows, passengers applauded as the plane landed.
Some passengers stood up. The flight attendant reminded them to remain seated.
A man can be heard saying: “There’s a crap hole in the plane. What the crap is this?”
This is a developing story and will be updated
CNN’s Pete Munten and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
No
This is a new record that scientists from the Korea Fusion Energy Institute (KFE) have…
Damages associated with drought, floods, hail and other increasingly violent events are expected to increase…
An estimated 9 million people in the United States are still waiting for their final…
The death of seven humanitarian workers from the American NGO World Central Kitchen in an…
Today, at one o'clock in the morning, Gamer updates it Boutique de Fortnite Through the…
The Basic Instinct and Casino actress looks back at a time in Hollywood when adapting…