4 crew members, 1 passenger injured on Alaska Airlines flight out of Seattle
Dec 30, 2024, 12:52 PM | Updated: 12:53 pm
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight approaches an airport for a landing. (Photo: Kevin Carter, Getty Images)
(Photo: Kevin Carter, Getty Images)
Several people were injured on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Phoenix last week, KIRO 7 reported.
According to The Seattle Times, four Alaska Airlines crew members were hospitalized and one passenger was injured after severe turbulence Thursday.
KIRO 7 stated Flight 700 took off from the Seattle-Tacoma International (Sea-Tac) Airport and was hit with turbulence around 2:30 p.m. MST while heading to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. According to FOX 13, the turbulence occurred about an hour and 45 minutes into the 2.5-hour flight.
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An Alaska Airlines spokesperson told The Seattle Times that after the turbulence was reported, medical professionals met the plane at the gate. Four crew members and one passenger received medical attention.
The airline later apologized to passengers and expressed gratitude for the crew’s professionalism, according to KIRO 7.
Alaska Airlines stated it is providing support for the affected crew members as they recover, according to KIRO 7. The airline also said it is not releasing details about the crew’s recovery to protect their privacy, as of this reporting.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website stated the agency is continuing its investigation into the incident which, according to The Seattle Times, involved a Boeing 737 MAX.
On Dec. 22, a disruptive passenger on Alaska Airlines Flight 323, arriving from Milwaukee to Seattle, prompted a significant response from the Port of Seattle’s fire and crisis intervention team.
“A passenger, upon arrival at a gate from an inbound Milwaukee flight, opened an emergency exit row door and walked out on the wing,” one witness told KIRO 7.
More details: Alaska Airlines resolves passenger disruption; Authorities alerted
According to a spokesperson for Sea-Tac Airport, the Port of Seattle is not seeking charges against the passenger at this time. However, the spokesperson told KIRO 7, “She may have broken FAA rules. So they, and the FAA and FBI, have been alerted.”
Contributing: Shawn Garrett, KIRO 7 and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest
Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.
