Nearly two dozen Alaska Airlines passengers are suing Boeing and the airline after a door plug blowout incident on a mid-air flight.
A preliminary report revealed critical bolts were missing when the plane was delivered, causing the door plug to blow off, leading to cabin depressurization.
The attorney representing the passengers highlighted physical, emotional, and financial trauma, with clients seeking compensation.
“A plane was delivered by Boeing to Alaska Airlines without four critical bolts, which means the plane was essentially a time bomb. This door plug could have blown off at any time,” attorney Mark Lindquist said.
“This is like the Max 8 disaster in that sense, meaning that there was critical information about the plane that pilots did not know. And pilots need to know everything about the plane they’re flying,” Lindquist said.
“You’re seeing some common issues like sleeplessness, nightmares, flashbacks. Some of them have physical injuries, hearing damage. They’ve all been impacted pretty severely, to one extent or another. This was a near-death experience for people on the plane,” he said.
“She hears a balloon pop and she breaks down and just starts sobbing. Trauma like this affects the mind and body in strange ways.”
“People on the plane thought they might be sending their last text,” he said. “They didn’t know. They just hear this woosh! There’s a hole in the side of the plane. And in the movies, the plane goes down under those circumstances.”
Shareholders have also filed a lawsuit against Boeing, and government agencies are investigating potential hazards.
“Boeing is accountable for what happened,” CEO Dave Calhoun said. “Whatever the specific cause of the accident might turn out to be, an event like this simply must not happen on an airplane that leaves one of our factories. We simply must be better. Our customers deserve better.”
The FAA’s role in plane inspection has been questioned.
“Boeing has been essentially their own watchdog for many years, and it’s not working. The FAA needs to step up and do their job,” Lindquist said.
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