Seat belt saved passenger’s life on Boeing 737 jet that suffered a blowout, new lawsuit says
SEATTLE — More passengers who were aboard an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 jet when part of its fuselage blew out in January have filed a lawsuit — including one who says his life was saved by a seat belt.
The latest lawsuit, representing seven passengers, was filed Thursday in King County Superior Court in Washington against Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Spirit AeroSystems and ten people listed as John Does.
Cuong Tran, of Upland, California, was sitting in the row behind where the side of the plane tore away and left a door-sized hole on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan. 5, according to a news release from attorney Timothy A. Loranger . Loranger, who filed the lawsuit, said air was pouring out of the hole and pulling at Tran and others nearby.
The suction ripped Tran’s shoes and socks off his feet and he felt his body rise from his seat, the news release said, adding that Tran’s foot was injured when it was torn into the seat structure in front of him.
“Our customers – and likely every passenger on that flight – suffered unnecessary trauma due to the failure of Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems and Alaska Airlines to ensure the aircraft was in a safe and airworthy condition,” Loranger said.
The lawsuit seeks punitive, compensatory and general damages for alleged negligence, liability for product construction/manufacturing defects and failure to perform its duty to protect passengers from harm.
Boeing responded Thursday to an email seeking comment: “We have nothing to add.” Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The first six minutes of the flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario International Airport in Southern California had been routine; the Boeing 737 Max 9 was about halfway to its cruising altitude and traveling at a speed of more than 400 miles per hour. Then the piece of fuselage covering a non-functioning emergency exit behind the left wing blew out.
The pilots made an emergency landing where they started in Portland. No one was seriously injured.
Another lawsuit against Boeing and Alaska Airlines was filed last month on behalf of 22 other passengers on the flight, also accusing the companies of negligence.
In a preliminary report last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said four bolts that help hold the door plug in place were missing after the panel was removed so workers could repair nearby damaged rivets last September. The rivet repairs were carried out by contractors from Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
Boeing, which has been under increased scrutiny since the incident, acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it could find no records of work being done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane.
The Ministry of Justice has also launched a criminal investigation. The investigation would help the department assess whether Boeing has complied with a settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max plane after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.