Alaska Airlines passengers sue over mid-air blowout
Six passengers who were on the Alaska Airlines flight forced to make an emergency landing last week after experiencing a blowout mid-air, filed a class-action lawsuit Thursday against Boeing — the aircraft's manufacturer.
The suit was filed in the Superior Court of Washington for King County by the the Stritmatter Firm on behalf of the passengers and one relative. In the court documents, plaintiffs alleged that the incident caused some to suffer from physical and "emotional distress."
An "explosive decompression" occurred on the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft — en route from Portland, Ore., to Ontario, Calif. — last Friday, when a panel plugging an unused emergency exit door blew off mid-flight.
The lawsuit further claimed the "misconduct" of Boeings' agents caused the plaintiffs and other passengers to "suffer harm and damages."
Daniel Laurence, an attorney for Stritmatter, said that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) “has yet to pinpoint an exact root cause of Flight 1282’s alarming decompression.”
“But given Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun’s forthright admission that this terrifying event was caused by Boeing’s 'mistake' ... our passenger clients elected to file suit as soon as possible in order to seek fair compensation for their injuries and those of all other passengers, spouses, and registered domestic partners, as soon as reasonably possible,” Laurence said in a press release.
In the wake of the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a full investigation on Thursday into whether Boeing failed to ensure its planes complied with safety regulations.
The agency also announced plans to increase its oversight of the company, including conducting an audit "involving the Boeing 737-9 MAX production line and its suppliers to evaluate Boeing’s compliance with its approved quality procedures."
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said the “grounding of the 737-9 and the multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk.”
“The FAA is exploring the use of an independent third party to oversee Boeing’s inspections and its quality system,” Whitaker said.
Since Saturday, more than 100 Boeing planes have been grounded as the NTSB and FAA conduct their probes.
Calhoun said the company plans to “cooperate fully and transparently” with the investigations.
The Stritmatter firm also sued Alaska Airlines in November on behalf of three passengers after an off-duty pilot was accused of trying to cut engines mid-flight. Former pilot Joseph Emerson, 44, pleaded not guilty to reckless endangerment and now awaits trial.