In a remarkable twist of fate, an iPhone has defied the odds by surviving a 16,000-foot fall after a door blew off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. The incident occurred on Friday, and game developer Seanathan Bates stumbled upon the seemingly indestructible device on the side of the road on Sunday.
Bates, astonished by the find, took to social media platform X to share the incredible story. “Found an iPhone on the side of the road,” Bates wrote. “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!”
The iPhone, reportedly still unlocked and featuring a torn charging cable connector, displayed information that corresponded to the flight. Bates promptly contacted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which confirmed the device was the second phone recovered from the flight. The NTSB took possession of the iPhone, and during a subsequent press conference, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy revealed that another cell phone from the same incident had been found in someone’s yard.
The explosive decompression event on Flight 1282 was triggered when a door plug covering an unused exit door unexpectedly detached from the Boeing 737 Max 9. While the decompression did not result in any injuries or passengers being expelled from the plane, the iPhone, still connected to its charging cable, was torn away in the process.
This incident isn’t the first time an iPhone has survived a fall from sky-high altitudes. In May, AppleInsider reported on a skydiver’s iPhone that endured a 14,000-foot plunge from a plane. The survival of these devices may be attributed to factors such as air resistance slowing the descent and softer landing spots like moist dirt or mud.
As the search initially focused on the missing door plug, which has since been located, the discovery of the iPhones has raised eyebrows. One commentator on Hacker News humorously suggested, “Boeing needs ‘Find My Door.'” The resilience of these iPhones, however, adds an unexpected chapter to the tale of Flight 1282’s explosive decompression.
