Seven passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight that was forced to make an emergency landing after a panel exploded are suing the airline, the plane manufacturer and its suppliers.
Among the plaintiffs is Cuong Tran, who was seated behind a door jam on a 737 Max 9 jet that exploded and sucked away his iPhone and shoes, reportedly leaving him with bruises and a sprained ankle.
Six other passengers were injured and are suing Alaska Airlines, plane maker Boeing Co. and its supplier Spirit Aerosystems.
The lawsuit, one of several filed by passengers, was filed Thursday in King County Superior Court in Washington state.
Three passengers filed a claim seeking $1 billion in damages. A separate lawsuit alleges the plane’s oxygen masks malfunctioned.
Attorneys in the latest lawsuit said several passengers were injured.
“One of our client’s children lost his clothes “His shirt was sucked off,” Ari Friedman, an attorney representing the passenger, reportedly said. protector.
“We can look at it in terms of product defects, or we can look at it in terms of what happens when companies think they can start cutting corners and save a few points in their stock price at the expense of public travel and these aircraft. The communities that fly.”
On January 5, the plane took off from Portland, Oregon, bound for Ontario, California. The door jam on the left side of the plane was torn off, leaving a large hole that one passenger reportedly described as “like a refrigerator.” Just as wide”.
The pilot was forced to return and landed safely with 171 passengers and 6 crew members on board.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the incident and said four key bolts on the door jam were missing.
The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, and the U.S. Department of Justice has begun a criminal investigation into the company.
Boeing has not commented publicly on the investigation, but in January Chief Executive David Calhoun told market analysts he was determined to “earn back trust through clear action and a commitment to complete transparency.” He apologized to Alaska Airlines last month, saying: “Boeing is responsible for what happened. We caused the problem and we understand that.” In another communication with employees, he said “We have a lot of things going on. The need to demonstrate… starts with…listening to each other and speaking out”.
On Monday, news broke that a former Boeing quality manager who had criticized the company’s manufacturing processes was found dead in a truck in South Carolina.
Lawyers for John Barnett, 62, who is part of a whistleblower lawsuit against Boeing, have expressed doubts about the circumstances of his death Saturday from a “self-inflicted injury.”
“We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing and our thoughts are with his family and friends,” Boeing said in a statement.
Last month, Ed Clark, the head of Boeing’s 737 Max program, was ousted over problems.
The lawsuits put further pressure on Boeing, which is already under scrutiny after two 737 Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.
At least 50 people were injured after a plane malfunctioned on its way from Sydney to Auckland earlier this week, causing passengers to “freeze” from their seats.
Boeing declined to comment further when contacted. I.
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