iPhone survives 16,000 feet drop from Alaska Airlines flight

On Friday, January 5th, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9 flying from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, experienced a mid-air depressurization incident, shortly after takeoff. A plug door, a specific panel of the fuselage near the rear of the aircraft, blew out at around 16,000 feet.

A Portland resident, Seanathan Bates, posted on X that he found an iPhone (15 series likely) when walking in Barnes Road, which is located near the reported area where debris, including fuselage panels and insulation, has been found. The door plug was discovered by a schoolteacher in his backyard in Portland today.

Bates said that the iPhone has survived the 16,000-foot drop from the flight without a scratch. The iPhone had a case and a screen protector. Even though the phone was in Airplane mode, it was unlocked, and had travel confirmation and the baggage claim for Flight 1282 confirming that it belonged to an Alaska Airlines passenger.

Bates contacted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) who said that it was the second phone to be found that has fallen from the flight.

This is not the first time, an iPhone is surviving a fall from the flight. In 2021, a pilot flying at 11,250 feet reported dropping his iPhone X while taking a picture. He used the Find My iPhone app to locate the phone, which had landed in a cornfield, and found it completely unscathed.


Srivatsan Sridhar: Srivatsan Sridhar is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast who is passionate about Mobile phones and Mobile apps. He uses the phones he reviews as his main phone. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram
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