This iPhone Survived A 16,000-Foot Drop From Alaska Airlines Flight 1282

Last Sunday, on January 7, a Twitter user posted that they found an iPhone in a bush that had fallen from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. On top of that, the iPhone appeared to be undamaged.

Thanks to The Verge, we know the phone flew off the plane shortly after taking off. This had happened because a section of the fuselage broke off of the aircraft, which led the pilot to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport. When the fuselage broke off, two phones flew out of the plane. The first phone was found in a yard.

The user found the second one, and they posted a series of pictures on X/Twitter documenting what they found. The tweet reads:

“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!”

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 in tact!
When I called it in, Zoe at @NTSB said it was the SECOND phone to be found. No door yet😅 pic.twitter.com/CObMikpuFd

— Seanathan Bates (@SeanSafyre) January 7, 2024

The Verge report goes on to explain (via Wired) that the phone was able to stay intact because it had reached its maximum speed before hitting the surface, and the ground it hit was able to disperse a lot of the impact.

For more Apple-replated news, check out our story covering how its Vision Pro launches on February 2.