A scheduled Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Sacramento had to request police to meet the aircraft at the gate, after it is alleged that a passenger vaped on board, setting off the smoke alarm at 35,000 feet. The pilot is heard speaking to air traffic control, requesting the police meet the aircraft on arrival.
Vaping or smoking on board is prohibited, as it can cause a severe fire risk, and due to pressurized cabins on an airplane, this can be extremely dangerous. The ban also protects other passengers and crew from secondhand smoke, and is enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) and applies to all commercial flights.
Smoking A Vape In The Airplane Lavatory
The Alaska Airlines flight, operating as AS1463, had departed from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) on Thursday, March 26, when the passenger in question made their way to the onboard lavatory and then proceeded to smoke from a vape. This subsequently set off the aircraft’s smoke alarm, prompting the crew to intervene.
After the incident, the pilot then requested support from law enforcement to meet the airplane on arrival at Sacramento International Airport (SMF), and reiterated that they had found a passenger vaping onboard and setting off the alarms. The captain noted that he would like somebody to have a conversation with them. The exact message is shared below as shared by Flight Simulator Fantasy:
“If you could pass along the message… could you please have law enforcement meet the airplane? We had a passenger set off a smoke alarm in one of our lavs using a vape of some kind, and just wanna have somebody talk to him.”
Vaping Onboard AS1463 From Seattle To Sacramento
Multiple source on social media have claimed that the flight number was AS1436; however, on closer inspection, this is a typo, and precise flight data from Flightradar24 suggests the service was actually AS1463. This flight, which is operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 9, departs from Seattle at 9:24 am daily, and arrives in Sacramento at 11:17 am after a one-hour and 53-minute flight.
On the day of this incident, the flight departed late from Seattle, having pushed back from Seattle at 10:39, one hour and 15 minutes late, and arrived in Sacramento at 12:12 pm, 55 minutes behind schedule. On this day, the flight was operated by aircraft N983AK, a two-year-old MAX 9, which joined the Alaska fleet in June 2023. Further aircraft characteristics below as per ch-aviation:
| Registration | N983AK |
|---|---|
| Serial Number (MSN) | 67505 |
| First Test Flight | June 13, 2023 |
| Delivery Date | July 10, 2023 |
| Hex Code | ADB653 |
| Age | Two years, eight months |
| Configuration | 16 First Class (C), and 162 Main Cabin (Y) |
| Engines | Two x CFMI LEAP-1B |
Credits: Alaska Airlines
