Lawsuit Claims Seat Belt Prevented Fatality in Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Fuselage Blowout Incident
In a recent legal development, a group of passengers who experienced a harrowing incident aboard an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 jet in January have initiated legal action. This group, including a passenger who credits his seat belt for saving his life after part of the aircraft’s fuselage ruptured mid-flight, has filed a lawsuit against several parties including Boeing and Alaska Airlines.
Filed in the King County Superior Court in Washington, the lawsuit represents seven individuals who were on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 5, when an unexpected blowout occurred, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft. According to a statement from attorney Timothy A. Loranger, who is representing the passengers, Cuong Tran, a resident of Upland, California, was seated just behind the affected area. The forceful decompression resulted in Tran’s shoes and socks being sucked off his feet, and he experienced a violent jerk that caused injury to his foot.
The legal complaint accuses Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer, Alaska Airlines, the aircraft’s operator, Spirit AeroSystems, involved in the aircraft’s assembly, and ten unidentified individuals, of negligence and failure to ensure the plane was in a safe, airworthy condition. The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory, punitive, and general damages for the trauma and injuries suffered due to what they allege was a defect in the product’s construction and manufacturing, as well as a breach of duty to protect the passengers onboard.
Boeing has declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit. Requests for comments from Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems have not received immediate responses.
This lawsuit follows another recent legal action by 22 other passengers from the same flight, also levying accusations of negligence against Boeing and Alaska Airlines. The incident, which occurred shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, heading to Ontario International Airport in California, involved a piece of the fuselage detaching from the aircraft, prompting an emergency landing back in Portland. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary findings point to missing bolts essential for securing the door plug, following repairs conducted by Spirit AeroSystems contractors last September. This maintenance was meant to address damaged rivets but has since led to increased scrutiny of Boeing’s practices.
Furthermore, the incident has attracted the attention of the Department of Justice, which has initiated a criminal investigation to examine Boeing’s adherence to a previous settlement related to the safety of its 737 Max aircraft, spotlighting the manufacturer’s safety protocols and practices following two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, abcnews.go.com