An Alaska Airlines flight bound for Seattle made an emergency diversion to Fresno, California, Sunday evening following a rapid descent from cruising altitude caused by an unspecified technical issue.
Flight AS671 departed John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, at approximately 9:00 PM PDT on Sunday, September 6, 2026. Shortly after reaching its cruising altitude of 40,000 feet, the flight crew initiated a sudden, sharp descent, dropping 30,000 feet to stabilize the aircraft at 10,000 feet within a matter of minutes—a maneuver standard for cabin pressurization issues or urgent mechanical anomalies.
Following the drop, the pilots formally declared an emergency with air traffic control. Vectors were quickly provided to direct the jet to Fresno Yosemite International Airport, where the plane landed safely on Runway 29L roughly one hour after taking off from Santa Ana.
Maintenance teams are evaluating the 26-year-old Boeing 737-700 to determine the exact cause of the technical failure before the aircraft is cleared to return to service.
