AMONG the harrowing details of the blown-off fuselage panel that triggered a sudden decompression event on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, one revelation seemed to defy the laws of physics: one of the mobile phones that had been sucked out of Boeing 737 Max 9 jet’s cabin remained in functioning condition after a 4,900-metre tumble.

A new-generation Apple iPhone landed intact, unlocked and with hours of battery life remaining on a Portland, Oregon roadside, according to a post on X by a user calling himself Seanathan Bates, who said he found the device. The screen showed an email from Alaska Airlines about a baggage claim for the flight, based on Bates’ photos.

The phone was in airplane mode, he said in a TikTok video. “It was still pretty clean, no scratches on it, sitting under a bush, and it didn’t have a screen lock on it,” he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed at a briefing on Sunday that one phone was found on the side of a road and another in a yard. The people have turned in both of the devices, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairperson Jennifer Homendy told reporters.

She said the board would look through the phones and return them to the passengers.

Bates couldn’t be reached for comment. The NTSB had no immediate comment. ABC News reported earlier that the NTSB confirmed Bates’ account.

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Apple says on its website that iPhone or its battery can be damaged if dropped. In this case, the only part that appeared broken in Bates’ post was the charger cord; even the screen was intact. The end of the cord was still plugged into the phone, but the rest of the cable was detached. 

Flight 1282 was forced to turn back minutes after takeoff, when the panel broke loose from the fuselage. None of the 171 passengers aboard the Max 9 jet was seriously injured. It landed safely back in Portland about 20 minutes after takeoff, having reached more than 16,000 feet (4,900 meters) in altitude before turning around. BLOOMBERG