Boeing 737-9 accident near Portland, Oregon, January 6, 2024
On January 6, 2024 at about 1:14 am local time, a 2023 Boeing 737-9, registered N704AL, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Portland, Oregon. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 8 people had minor injuries; 172 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2024 · about 1:14 am local time
- Place
- Portland, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 8 people had minor injuries; 172 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-9, built 2023 · all 737-9s on the register
- Registration
- N704AL · registry record · serial 67501
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Equip attach fittings (on fus) › Not installed/available
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Training › (general) › Manufacturer
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of personnel › Manufacturer
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Enforcement › Company/organization policy › FAA/Regulator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Safety programs › Adequacy of safety program › FAA/Regulator
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 6,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,300 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 510 hours
- Seats: 48
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl LEAP-1B28 SER (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl LEAP-1B28 SER (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: PDX Portland OR
- Destination: ONT Ontario CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 160° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from PDX, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 3 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| LapC | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 7 | 164 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
102 documents, released by the NTSB on August 9, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N704AL the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.