Boeing 737 mistakenly deploys evacuation slide after landing at Salem airport

A Boeing 737 plane from Avelo Airlines mistakenly deployed an evacuation slide in Salem, resulting in passengers having to exit the plane through the back door.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – An investigation is underway into a Boeing 737 that mistakenly deployed an evacuation slide in Salem, according to Avelo Airlines.

Flight 185 arrived at the Salem Municipal Airport just after 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 without incident. Passengers were preparing to get off the plane when the flight crew reported an issue.

“After the aircraft landed, the flight crew opened the main front left entry door, and the evacuation slide became partially unhoused,” Avelo spokesperson Madison Jones said.

Passengers had to get off the plane through the back door, Jones added.

The aircraft returned to service after the incident, and Avelo officials said they are “reviewing the cause of the slide's partial deployment.”

The incident comes months after the discount airline began offering nonstop flights between Salem and Los Angeles or Las Vegas. The flight that landed Thursday had departed from the Hollywood Burbank Airport.

The Boeing 737 model has continued to make headlines since January after a door plug blew off a plane, which had apparently been missing the bolts necessary to keep the door in place.

After the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a temporary grounding of all 737 Max 9 aircrafts for an inspection. The planes have since made their way back into service.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.