India, Nov. 11 -- YAKIMA, Wash. - More than 120 passengers and crew members aboard an Alaska Airlines service found themselves spending a turbulent night sleeping on American Red Cross cots scattered across a regional terminal floor after severe weather and a subsequent mechanical failure forced their aircraft to divert to central Washington.

Alaska Airlines Flight 322, operating a Boeing 737-900ER from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, encountered treacherous wind storms late Saturday evening. As howling gales battered the Seattle corridor, the flight crew aborted their approach and diverted toward Yakima Air Terminal, touching down safely at approximately 9:25 pm.

However, what was initia...