On the 1st of March, 2024, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 landed with a partly open door to the front cargo hold in Portland.
The Boeing 737-900ER with registration N402AS operating flight 1437, arrived safely at Portland International Airport (PDX) after its journey from Los Cabos, Mexico. However, a disturbing detail emerged upon landing – the aircraft’s cargo hold door was discovered to be open.
Reports initially indicated that pets were on board in the cargo area, Alaska Airlines has not confirmed this detail.
Thankfully, the situation did not necessitate an emergency landing, according to sources close to the incident. The bigger concern lies in how long the cargo door remained open during the flight.
Alaska Alaska Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement, saying, “Upon landing at PDX on March 1, Alaska Airlines flight 1437 was discovered to have the forward cargo door unsealed.”
“There was no indication to the crew that the door was unsealed during flight and all indications point to the door partially opening after landing. Our maintenance teams inspected the aircraft, replaced a spring in the door, tested the door, and reentered it into service.”
The open cargo door incident has sparked safety concerns, particularly following a separate incident with Alaska Airlines just days prior where passengers on another flight reported cabin fumes. Before that, in another incident, one of the airline’s Boeing 737 MAX 9’s mid-cabin exit door blew out en route.
According to news reports, upon discovering the open door, Alaska Airlines took the aircraft out of service for the remainder of the day. Mechanics thoroughly inspected the plane, reportedly replacing a spring in the door handle before testing and returning the aircraft to service.
Feature Image via KOIN 6