Alaska Airlines Flight 255 declared an emergency and diverted back to Anchorage on February 6, 2026, after the aircraft encountered a mechanical issue while en route to Kona, Hawaii.
The flight departed Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport at around 2:45 p.m. Alaska Standard Time and turned back approximately 1 hour and 37 minutes after takeoff, according to flight tracking records. The aircraft landed back in Anchorage at about 6:38 p.m. AKST.
Alaska Airlines said the flight “turned back for a mechanical issue and declared an emergency for priority handling.” The airline did not specify the nature of the mechanical problem but apologized to passengers for the disruption.
Rather than delay passengers further, Alaska Airlines swapped the original aircraft for a different Boeing jet and relaunched Flight 255 around 10:45 p.m. AKST. The replacement flight completed the journey to Kona, landing at approximately 3:50 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time—about six hours and five minutes after departure from Anchorage.
Emergency declarations on commercial flights are issued to give an aircraft priority handling and expedited landing clearance when crews identify a safety concern. While the specific nature of this mechanical issue remained undisclosed, the crew’s decision to divert and declare an emergency ensured the aircraft reached the ground safely with all passengers and crew unharmed.
The incident reflects standard aviation safety protocols: when pilots detect an anomaly that warrants caution, they communicate the situation to air traffic control and take the most direct route to a suitable airport. Alaska Airlines’ decision to deploy a replacement aircraft rather than repair the original plane on the ground allowed passengers to complete their journey with minimal additional delay beyond the initial diversion.
Sources
- Alaska’s News Source — reported the emergency declaration, diversion details, timeline of both flights, and Alaska Airlines’ statement
- FlightAware — provided flight tracking data confirming departure time, diversion point, and landing times
