iPhone survives fall from Alaska Airlines midair blowout

An iPhone that was sucked out of the Alaska Airline flight ASA1282 has been found undamaged after a fall of 16,000 feet.

In mid-2020, an iPhone that fell 1,000 feet from a light aircraft had a damaged screen protector.

But now a completely undamaged iPhone has been found after being sucked out of the Alaska Airline's Boeing 737 Max 9 flight which lost an entire door shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.

It was found by Seanathan Bates, who reports that the iPhone was in airplane mode, had around 50% battery charge, and was opened to an Alaska Airline's baggage claim. He goes on to say that part of a charger was plugged into the phone, broken off when the iPhone "got 'yanked' out the door."

Bates reported the missing phone to the National Transportation Safety Board, and says a representative from the NTSB told him this was the second phone to be recovered after the accident.

The iPhone survived a fall of around 16,000 feet, but it did have a hard protective case. In late 2020, a skydiver dropped his iPhone from 14,000 feet and it survived, also with an apparently rugged case.

Separately, a door plug from the flight was also found. While the incident is still being investigated, a window and section of fuselage was blown out of the flight on January 5, 2023.

As a result, the FAA grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.