Boeing faces new lawsuits from Alaska Airlines crew after a 737 MAX 9 door plug blew out mid-flight, triggering panic and emergency landing (Reuters)
Boeing, the company, faces legal action by 4 flight cabin crew members from Alaska Airlines. These lawsuits state that the plaintiffs suffer increased physical and psychological trauma from the now-notorious 737 MAX 9 airplane spillage, which its cabin panels blew out during flight in January 2024. The plane hit by a mid-air cabin panel blowout in January last year are suing Boeing for physical and psychological injuries, the Seattle Times said on Thursday.
The suits have been filed in the King's County Superior Court, Seattle, and makes charges of negligence, defective products, and corporate indifference against Boeing especially regarding its failure to maintain safety protocols. The flight from Portland was destined for California but had to make an emergency landing when a door plug panel broke midair, resulting in rapid decompression and chaos inside the cabin.
"Each of the four flight attendees acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers' safety first while fearing for their lives," it cited lawyer Tracy Brammeier, who is representing them, as saying.
"They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering traumatic experience."
The lawsuits, filed on Tuesday in Seattle's King County Superior Court, accused Boeing of product liability for delivering a plane that was unsafe to operate and for negligence in manufacturing practices, the paper said.
Prepared the flight attendants were for emergencies, but Pandora's Box was opened when the incident occurred. Loud bang at about 16,000 feet, followed by freezing air and instant loss of pressure. One attendant recounted fearing that the passengers had been blown out of the plane, while another remembered all the havoc caused trying to give out oxygen masks and secure loose paraphernalia. According to the lawsuits, the incident left them both shaken physically and psychologically scarred, with long-term emotional effects on the course of their personal life and professional life.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) claimed last month that Boeing had not provided sufficient supervision, training, or direction to stop the catastrophe.
The board blasted the Federal Aviation Administration's incompetent oversight, Boeing's safety culture, and the company's failure to put four crucial bolts in a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9 during manufacture.
At the core of allegations against Boeing is the fact that the company has not installed properly the essential safety components. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the four bolts intended to secure the door plug were never installed. This shortcoming indicates larger quality control problems that have molded the history of Boeing since its last crisis with the 737 MAX. The flight attendants assert that production speed was given precedence over safety for passengers and crew members, which only strengthens the chorus for change raised from countless voices across the industry.
Although several lawsuits from passengers had already been filed, some were subscribed to confidential settlements, and these crew lawsuits now mark a new phase in the legal war. Besides claiming compensation for damages suffered in the past and expected to be suffered in the future, the plaintiffs are also calling for jury trials. Expected to begin late 2025 and early 2026, more than mere monetary compensation, these suits represent a rising demand for accountability from the airline industry itself. To date, Boeing has not released any public commentary concerning the new lawsuits. But again, the pressure on this aerospace giant to take remedial action regarding internal safety failures only grows.
