iPhone plunged 16,000 feet off an airplane miraculously works

An Alaska Airlines flight made the news when the door of the aircraft ripped off mid-flight last week. While the passengers on board managed to remain safe through the remaining journey, more damage was caused after several objects flew off the aircraft. Among the debris found after the incident was an Apple iPhone that seemed to survive the 16,000-foot drop miraculously.

How was the iPhone found?

A Washington resident, Sean Bates, was on his routine walk on Sunday evening when he happened to chance upon the device at the side of the road. In a TikTok video, Bates revealed how the iPhone was ‘still in airplane mode’ and was accessible due to a lack of screen lock. He instantly connected it with the incident as the iPhone had an email open with baggage claim information.

And while the iPhone had a piece of a charger cord still connected, it seemed to work just fine with half battery life. Bates, who took to X (formerly Twitter), penned the incident by mentioning how this was the second phone to be found off the aircraft.

“When I called it in, Zoe at @NTSB said it was the SECOND phone to be found. No door yet,” his post reads. He further mentions how the iPhone had little to no scratches and looked ‘pretty clean’. 

Several X users took to the micro-blogging platform after the incident. Where some claimed their iPhone didn’t survive a fall off the table, others ridiculed the user for putting on a crack-proof case and screen guard. While the phone might have to go through a number of customs to reach its original owner, we now know what the airplane mode on the phone actually means. Yet, we don’t recommend trying!