iPhone that got sucked out of Alaska Airlines plane and fell 16,000 feet is found on the ground – and still works

When a door plug on an Alaska Airlines plane suddenly ripped off minutes into a flight on Friday evening, everyone on board remained safe, but several objects were sucked out of the aircraft and fell roughly 16,000 feet – including what appears to be an intact and working iPhone. 

Washington resident Sean Bates tweeted on Sunday that he found an iPhone on the side of the road that was "still in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim" for the plane involved in Friday's incident, Alaska Airlines ASA1282. The phone also has a piece of a charger still stuck inside. 

"Thing got *yanked* out the door," Bates tweeted, "...survived a 16,000 foot drop perfect in tact!" 

Bates said he called the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency investigating the incident, and an agent told him it was the second phone to be found from the plane. 

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 Survived a 16,000 foot drop perfectly in tact!

When I called it in, Zoe at @NTSB said it was the SECOND phone to be found. No door yet😅 pic.twitter.com/CObMikpuFd

— Seanathan Bates (@SeanSafyre) January 7, 2024

In a TikTok, Bates said he was out enjoying a walk when he stumbled across the iPhone. He said he was "a little skeptical at first" after coming across it, initially thinking that someone had thrown the device out of their car. 

"It was still pretty clean, no scratches on it, sitting under a bush," he said. "And it didn't have a screen lock on it, so I opened it up and it was in airplane mode with travel confirmation and baggage claim for Alaska 1282." 

Along with the door plug, several components of the plane were sucked out during Friday evening's incident, including headrests, a seat back and a tray table. The NTSB confirmed during a press briefing on Sunday that two cell phones belonging to people on the plane were located, including one found on the side of the road and another that was found in a yard. The plug that was covering the exit door was found in a teacher's backyard near Portland, Oregon, the city from which the plane departed and had to make an emergency landing.

Boeing 737 Max 9s – the type of plane in the incident – have been grounded by the FAA until the agency is "satisfied that they are safe," a spokesperson said. As of Monday morning, more than 300 Alaska Airlines and United Airlines flights have been canceled, as the two companies are the only U.S. passenger airlines that use the type of aircraft involved. 

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• Alaska Airlines
• iPhone

Li Cohen

Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.