A group of six Alaska Air passengers sued Boeing after a door plug blew off one of the company’s aircraft during a flight and left a gaping hole in the left side of the plane.
Six Alaska Airlines Passengers Sue Boeing Over Door Panel Blowout https://t.co/lCIyI4tudv
— Forbes (@Forbes) January 12, 2024
Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California departed at 4:40 p.m. local time and reached an altitude of 16,000 feet before the door plug came off causing oxygen masks to fall from the ceiling. The plane landed safely at Portland International Airport at around 5:30 p.m.
A KPTV article stated, “The fire department responded to the plane after it landed and treated minor injuries. There was one person taken from the scene for additional medical treatment. No serious injuries were reported.
A class-action lawsuit was filed against Boeing in King County Superior Court on Thursday. While everyone was safe following the incident, the passengers’ attorney, Daniel Laurence, is seeking compensation for the damaging effects of the experience.
“Unfortunately, although everyone is glad that the blow-out occurred while the crew could still manage to land the aircraft safely, this nightmare experience has caused economic, physical, and ongoing emotional consequences that have understandably deeply affected our clients,” Laurence said.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the passengers states in part, “The force of the depressurization ripped the shirt off a boy, and sucked cell phones, other debris, and much of the oxygen out of the aircraft.”
“The shirtless boy leapt over the woman next to him and escaped toward the front of the plane. At least two others seated near the hole followed and found new seats closer to the front,” the document continued.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said, “We’re going to approach this, No. 1, acknowledging our mistake. We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way.”
Federal officials are currently investigating what caused the plane’s fuselage to detach.
There were 171 passengers on the flight along with six crew members aboard the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. Alaska Airways temporarily grounded its entire 65-plane fleet of Boeing 737-9 aircraft to complete maintenance and safety inspections.
