More passengers on board Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 when part of its fuselage exploded in January, they sued, including one who claims his life was saved by a seat belt.
The latest lawsuit, representing seven passengers, was filed Thursday in Washington’s King County Superior Court against Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Spirit AeroSystems and 10 people listed as John Dawes.
Cuong Tran, of Upland, California, was sitting in the row behind where the plane’s side came off 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 rushed out of the hole, pulling Tran and others nearby.
The suction ripped Tran’s shoes and socks off his feet and he felt his body being lifted from the seat, the release said, adding that Tran’s foot was injured when it was yanked into the structure of the seat in front of him.
“Our customers — and likely every passenger on this flight — suffered unnecessary injuries because Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems and Alaska Airlines failed to ensure that the aircraft was in a safe and airworthy condition,” Loranger said.
The lawsuit seeks punitive, compensatory and general damages for alleged negligence, liability for defective product design/manufacturing and failure to perform its duty to protect passengers from harm.
Boeing responded to an email Thursday seeking comment, saying, “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 were normal, with the Boeing 737 Max 9 about halfway to cruising altitude and traveling at more than 400 mph (640 km/h). Then a piece of the fuselage covering a non-working emergency exit exploded behind the left wing.
The pilots made an emergency landing in the same place 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 released last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said four bolts held the door plug in place. missing after the panel was removed last September to allow workers to repair nearby damaged rivets. The rivet repairs were performed by contractors working for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
Boeing, under increased scrutiny after the incident, acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it could not find records of work done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane.
The Ministry of Justice also launched criminal investigation. The investigation will help the department examine whether Boeing complied with an agreement that allowed a federal investigation into the safety of the 737 Max after two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.