Alaska airlines incident unveils remarkable resilience of iPhone after 16,000-foot fall

The aviation industry faced a turbulent start to the year, marked by incidents like a plane catching fire in Japan and another returning to the airport due to a mid-air section detachment. However, a recent Alaska Airlines flight 1282 incident brought forth an unexpected twist as two cellphones, ejected during a mid-cabin door plug blowout, were found intact, with one iPhone astonishingly still in working condition.

The flight, carrying 171 passengers from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, experienced a mid-cabin door plug failure, exposing the interior and triggering the deployment of oxygen masks. The plane safely returned to Portland airport, but the discovery of the seemingly resilient phones added a remarkable dimension to the incident.

Seanathan Bates, who found the iPhone, expressed his surprise on social media, stating, “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 intact! When I called it in, Zoe at @NTSB said it was the SECOND phone to be found. No door yet.”

Social media users were quick to share their astonishment at the phone’s survival, with one person humorously suggesting, “Of course it survived; it was in airplane mode? Like what else is the mode for if not for turning the phone into an airplane when dropped?” Another marveled at the iPhone’s durability, contrasting it with past experiences of phones breaking from much smaller falls.

Alaska Airlines‘ CEO Ben Minicucci assured passengers of a thorough review and safety inspections before returning the aircraft to service. The incident underscores the resilience of modern technology even in extreme circumstances, leaving many amazed at the iPhone’s ability to endure a 16,000-foot fall and still remain operational.