On January 7th, 2024 the emergency door on an Alaska Airlines flight 1282 came off while the plan was in the air. The plane had 176 passengers and 6 crew members. (Tom Costello, NBC, Jan 7) The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in order to protect the passengers. According to Tom Costello, a writer for NBC News, “Elizabeth Le of Portland, Oregon, said the flight was about 20 minutes into its route from Portland to Ontario, California, on Friday when she heard a loud noise.” (Jan 7)

Many people’s shirts, phones, and other items got sucked out of the plane through the open door. The plane made an emergency landing in Portland. They landed safely, and there have been no reported injuries due to this incident.  

Around 8pm that same day, a teacher in Portland found the door that had broken off from the plan in his backyard.

Bob Saurer, a science teacher in Portland reported his findings later that night. According to Maxine Bernstein from Oregon Live, “he noticed something white gleaming in the beam of his flashlight. He stepped a little closer, and there was the “missing piece from the airplane,” he said.” (Jan 9.) A crew came to Saurer’s home to pick up the door, “The crew loaded the plug into a rental SUV and hauled it off. They planned to send it back to a lab in Washington, D.C.” (Maxine Berstien, Oregon live, Jan 9) The science teacher gave the reporters a lesson about the door, speed, and velocity. Thankfully everyone is alright, and now ‘The Bob’ is now a star in his town and especially the classroom.