Door ajar: Alaska Airlines jet arrives in Portland with open cargo door

An Alaska Airlines Flight 1437 from Los Cabos, Mexico arrived at Portland International Airport on March 1 with what observers said was an unsealed cargo door, as confirmed by photos released by KOIN.

“It’s unclear how long the Boeing 737 door was open, but sources say passengers’ pets were inside and lived. It is not clear whether the circumstance could have put the flight at risk, but a source told KOIN 6 the flight did not require an emergency landing,” the report said. In the photo published by KOIN, the gap appears several inches wide.

“Upon landing at PDX on March 1, Alaska Airlines flight 1437 was discovered to have the forward cargo door unsealed. There was no indication to the crew that the door was unsealed during flight and all indications point to the door partially opening after landing. Our maintenance teams inspected the aircraft, replaced a spring in the door, tested the door and reentered it into service,” a statement from Alaska Airlines said, as reported by KOIN.

The company is suffering from the blowback occurring after a Boeing 737-9 MAX jet lost a door plug mid-flight in January, as it climbed out of Portland en route to Ontario, Calif. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board found the bolts that hold the door plug in place were missing when the plane took off, a factory defect, not an Alaska Airlines oversight.

At least 62 passengers aboard that flight are suing the airline and Boeing for at least $1 billion. Another two lawsuits represent another 59 passengers and the damages in those lawsuits are not yet specified.

Alaska Airlines is the fifth-largest airline in North America, as measured by passengers carried, and is the main carrier for the majority of Alaska residents who fly.