SEATAC, Wash. —
Part of the nose gear of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 broke as the jetliner was being pushed back from the gate on Tuesday, delaying a flight bound for Oakland, Calif., officials said.
A pin on the push bar broke, an Alaska Airlines spokesman told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News, and 143 passengers on board were transferred to another plane that was expected to leave for Oakland at 1:35 p.m.
The part is designed to break under excessive pressure from the push-back process, he said, and there was no permanent damage to the aircraft.
Video from Chopper 7 showed the plane, the push-back vehicle and a line of baggage carts near the nose gear at Gate C9. The plane has an image of a Copper River salmon on the side.
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