Alaska Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Fresno
An Alaska Airlines flight from Santa Ana to Seattle made an emergency diversion to Fresno on Sunday evening after a rapid descent due to a technical issue.
The Boeing 737-700, which is 26 years old, departed John Wayne Airport at approximately 9:00 PM PDT. Shortly after reaching its cruising altitude of 40,000 feet, the flight crew initiated a sharp descent to stabilize the aircraft at 10,000 feet within minutes.
The pilots formally declared an emergency with air traffic control and were directed to Fresno Yosemite International Airport, where they landed safely on Runway 29L about an hour after taking off from Santa Ana.
Maintenance teams are evaluating the aircraft to determine the cause of the technical failure before it is cleared for return to service.