Seattle: Alaska Airlines worker trapped in cargo hold.

An Alaska Airlines flight declared an emergency shortly after take off at 7.35am (Seattle Time) and made a priority landing 20 mins later after taking off with a worker trapped in the cargo hold.

The pilot of flight AS 448, a Boeing 737-990 N464AA (CN 40714)  bound for Los Angeles, was alerted by the sound of banging from beneath the aircraft.

The baggage handler emerged from the pressurised hold, saying he had fallen asleep inside it, the airline said. The worker "appeared OK" but was taken to hospital as a precaution, it said.

The aircraft had been in the air for 18 minutes.

Alaska Airlines later said the worker had been discharged from hospital and had also passed a drugs test. The aircraft later depart Seattle at 9.01am (local) and landed in Los Angeles at 11.33am.



ALASKA AIRLINES B737-890 N516AS (CN 39044)
AIRCAFT PHOTO SIMILAR TO THE ONE MENTIONED ABOVE

Below image is the aircraft departing for the first time and the second image is the circuit the aircraft performed as it returned to drop off the precious cargo.