Mid-air window blowout: Seven men who ‘feared for their lives’ sue Boeing, Alaska Air

Legal challenges are piling up on Boeing and Alaska Airlines as more passengers drag them to the courts of law over the chilling emergency landing incident on January 5. In the latest setback, seven passengers on Thursday (Mar 14) filed a lawsuit in Washington’s King County superior court against the two companies.

The seven men included Cuong Tran, a passenger who was on the verge of being sucked off the Boeing 737 Max 9 jet when a door-sized panel blew off midair. The incident caused rapid depressurisation in the cabin, severely threatening passengers and injuring them.

All seven men sustained injuries in the January 5 incident and they “feared for their lives”, said their attorneys.

This lawsuit runs parallel to other suits filed by passengers of the flight against Boeing and Alaska Airlines. One was filed in King County representing 22 passengers, another was brought by three Oregon passengers seeking $1bn in damages, and a third was filed in federal court representing 33 passengers.

What happened on January 5?

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the plane’s door plug blew out as four crucial bolts were missing, prompting the NTSB to inquire further into the individuals responsible for working on the plug. Following the blowout, the head of Boeing’s 737 Max programme was removed from their position.

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This incident also led the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ground certain Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for investigation, while the US Justice Department initiated a criminal inquiry into the company.

Boeing under pressure

The episode has intensified the scrutiny on Boeing, which was already facing questions following the crashing of two of its 737 Max 8 jets in 2018 and 2019, resulting in the death of 346 individuals.

Although the Alaska flight in January managed to land safely with no major injuries, attorneys in the recent lawsuit assert that several passengers suffered injuries and trauma.

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“One of the children of our clients lost his clothing – his shirt was sucked off,” said Ari Friedman, a lawyer representing the passengers.

“We can look at it through the lens of the product defects, or we can also look at it through the lens of what happens when companies think that they can start cutting corners, save their share price a few points at the expense of the travelling public and the communities that these planes fly,” Friedman added.