The Plane Lost a Piece at 16,000 Feet Altitude. The Woman Recorded It on Video, and Here’s the Airline’s Response

A young woman boarded a plane for a routine flight. However, 20 minutes into the flight, a piece of the plane literally fell off, revealing the night sky through the hole. The girl recorded a video about the incident on TikTok, and it immediately went viral.

A part of the plane flew off not even 20 minutes into her flight.

A mere 20 minutes into this woman’s flight, chaos ensued as a critical part of the airplane took an unscheduled departure. The door plug for the fuselage dislodged during the ascent, unleashing a rapid depressurization of the cabin and exposing terrified passengers to the open air thousands of feet above the ground. At an altitude of 16,000 feet, a sudden breach next to seat 26A prompted the pilot to declare an emergency.

As the plane began its descent, shaken passengers recorded footage of the alarming hole left by the departed door plug. Among them was a woman who swiftly uploaded the video to TikTok, where it rapidly went viral. In response to the incident, Alaska Airlines conveyed in their latest statement that their maintenance teams stand ready to conduct necessary inspections. The situation has taken a toll on the airline’s operations, leading to a substantial number of flight cancellations, with more expected in the coming days.

After the incident, the plane had to return and make an emergency landing. No one was injured as no one was seen near that place. However, the video creator wrote, «Kid behind me just told us that his friend and mom were in that aisle and his mom had to drag him back in.»

People on the comments were freaking out.

The comments section of the video became a virtual hub of panic and shock, with viewers expressing their heightened anxiety and disbelief. One commenter shared, «Ok, the movies made it seem like the seats themselves would be ripped out of their sockets if there was a small hand-sized hole in the side of a plane.» A common sentiment echoed throughout the comments was encapsulated in the question, «How was everyone so calm?» — highlighting the collective disbelief at the passengers’ seemingly composed reaction in the face of such a terrifying ordeal.

People wrote, «I would’ve passed out if I was in that row, the fear», «Pilot here. I am so glad you are okay. The crew did a great job making a safe landing», «And that is just another reason to never take your seatbelt off on a flight. Glad everyone is ok!»

Such incidents fortunately don’t happen often. So there’s no need to worry if you have a trip coming up soon. Use life hacks to make your economy class flight more comfortable and enjoy the journey.