iPhone from Alaska Airline flight found on ground, still works

The phone flew more than 16,000 feet to the ground
It was still working and had battery life left
It is the second phone found from the Alaska Airlines flight

Updated: Jan 8, 2024 / 02:44 PM CST

An iPhone that flew 16,000 feet was found still working. (Seanathan Bates)
Seanathan Bates found the phone on the side of the road. (Seanathan Bates)
The phone was still in airplane mode with half a battery left. (Seanathan Bates)

(NewsNation) — An iPhone that was sucked out of an Alaska Airlines flight after a panel blew off the side of the plane was found on the side of the road — and it still works.

Seanathan Bates found the phone on the side of the road, still in airplane mode with half a battery left and a baggage claim ticket for the flight. After falling around 16,000 feet from the air, the iPhone was still working.

Bates said when he called the National Transporation Safety Board to report the phone, he found it was the second one recovered from the fight.

The Alaska Airlines flight was in midair when a “door plug,” a panel used to cover a part of the plane where there would normally be an emergency exit door, blew off and depressurized the plane.

The flight safely returned to Portland.

While some passengers were injured, no passengers or crew were killed during the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes using the door plug as a result.