Boeing Faces Class Action Lawsuit and Federal Investigations After Mid-Flight Nightmare
The aviation world is still recovering from the nightmare flight aboard Alaska Airlines earlier this month. Shortly after Alaska Air Flight 1282 took off from Portland International Airport in Washington en route to Ontario International Airport in California, a door plug of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 came loose and flew off the plane. The incident has launched investigations by both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and has raised questions about Boeing's safety and quality assurance measures.
The 737 MAX 9, equipped with an optional extra door for evacuation, became the subject of global news after the door plug became dislodged. The depressurization of the opening caused passengers’ personal belongings, including cell phones and shoes, to be sucked out of the aircraft.
The force was so great it sucked the shirt off of a 15-year-old sitting next to the door plug. Experts have emphasized that if the plane had reached a higher cruising altitude before the door plug came off, the consequences could have been catastrophic. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, and passengers who were injured were treated and medically cleared the following day.
Investigation Into Crash Continues
Both the FAA and NTSB are conducting separate investigations into the incident. One of the key concerns is whether the door was properly secured with the four bolts required to keep it in place. The door was later recovered in the backyard of a high school physics teacher and collected by the FAA for further investigation.Boeing, in response, announced additional quality inspections for the 737 MAX planes. Stan Deal, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, assured the public and officials that they would engage in a thorough review of the door plug installation process at supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
In a proactive measure, the FAA declared the grounding of Boeing 737-9 MAX planes until extensive inspections and maintenance are conducted. Alaska Airlines followed suit for the same reasons.
"It is time to re-examine the delegation of authority and assess any associated safety risks," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker shared during the agency’s announcement of its investigation. "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."
First Class Action Filed
In the meantime, passengers are taking legal action. A class-action lawsuit against Boeing on behalf of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 passengers has been filed by a Seattle law firm in a King County Superior Court in Washington state. The lawsuit accuses the company of causing an event that "physically injured some passengers and emotionally traumatized most if not all aboard." Although the incident happened on the Alaska Airlines fleet, the airline is not named as a defendant.The lawsuit continues, "The violence of the event bruised the bodies of some. The cockpit door blew open and a flight attendant rushed to try to close it. The pressure change made ears bleed and combined with low oxygen, loud wind noise and traumatic stress made heads ache severely. Passengers were shocked, terrorized and confused, thrust into a waking nightmare, hoping they would live long enough to walk the earth again."
The complaint maintains, "Boeing is responsible for the safety of design and maintenance instructions as well as continuing airworthiness of the aircraft."
Boeing has since issued statements following the terrifying event. During a company meeting, Boeing CEO David Calhoun shared that the company "acknowledges our mistake" of the faulty door plug and that the error “can never happen again.” Calhoun continued, "We're going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way."
