In an astonishing incident, an iPhone survived a 16,000-foot fall from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which made headlines after a door-sized section of the plane was blown off mid-flight. The flight, which was en route from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, experienced a dramatic incident when a door plug detached from the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, fortunately resulting in no serious injuries to those on board.
Among the items sucked out of the plane was an iPhone, which was later discovered near Portland, Oregon, in a fully functioning state. Seanathan Bates, a game designer, found the phone while walking, following an advisory from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) about possible debris from the aircraft. Bates shared his discovery on Twitter, stating, “Found an iPhone on the side of the road… Still in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim for #AlaskaAirlines ASA1282.”
The iPhone, identified as either an iPhone 15 Pro or an iPhone 14 Pro based on Bates’ uploaded picture, was encased in a protective cover and had a torn charging cable attached. Bates, in a video, expressed his initial skepticism about the phone’s origin, noting its surprisingly good condition and lack of scratches, despite being found under a bush.
Upon discovering that the phone had no screen lock, Bates was able to access the device and found a travel confirmation email for Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, confirming its connection to the incident. He has since handed over the phone to the NTSB.
This incident was not isolated to a single device. During a press conference, the NTSB confirmed the recovery of a second cell phone from a yard, also believed to have been ejected from the same flight.
The cause of the incident, involving the sudden detachment of a door plug from the aircraft, remains under investigation. The recovered door plug is a key piece of evidence in understanding what happened. As a precautionary measure, the FAA has grounded certain Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in the United States pending further inspections.
This remarkable story of an iPhone’s survival from a high-altitude fall highlights not only the durability of modern smartphones but also the unusual circumstances under which it was found and returned. The ongoing investigation into the flight incident will hopefully provide more insights into the cause of the door plug detachment and prevent future occurrences.
