Pets on Alaska Airlines flight narrowly avoid tragedy after alarming cargo door mishap

Portland, Orgenon - A Boeing 737 Alaska Airlines flight carrying pets reportedly arrived at its Oregon destination with the cargo door open in the latest concerning aviation incident.

After a four-hour flight, an Alaska Airlines flight made the startling discovery that the door to their front cargo hold was open.
After a four-hour flight, an Alaska Airlines flight made the startling discovery that the door to their front cargo hold was open.  © Unsplash/Sven Piper

"Upon landing at PDX on March 1, Alaska Airlines flight 1437 was discovered to have the forward cargo door unsealed," the company said in a statement to Simple Flying on Friday.

"There was no indication to the crew that the door was unsealed during flight and all indications point to the door partially opening only after landing."

"Our maintenance teams inspected the aircraft, replaced a spring in the door handle, tested the door and reentered it into service," the airline added.

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There were multiple pets in the cargo hold during the flight, according to People.

KOIN 6 cited aviation expert Joe Schwieterman, who said the faulty door is "a pretty major defect" that could affect a lot of the electrical equipment of the craft.

The expert also noted that the door opening should have triggered a warning sensor to alert the crew.

Boeing and Alaska Airlines suffer yet another PR hit

Boeing has recently been undergoing a shakeup in leadership after a series of serious technical failures put them under intense public scrutiny.

Just Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration reported "multiple" issues with the company's production practices during an investigation launched after a fuselage panel blew out midair on a 737 MAX flight.

This incident also occurred on an Alaska Airlines flight.

The aircraft has since performed several other flights around the country without issue. According to ch-aviation, the plane involved in the most recent event is 11 years old with 41,500 flight hours logged as of December 31, 2023.

Cover photo: Unsplash/Sven Piper

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