Boeing, Alaska Airlines face new lawsuits from crew aboard door plug blowout flight

Boeing is being sued by four flight attendants on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, who claim they suffered physical and psychological injuries, according to The Seattle Times.

Several lawsuits have already been filed against Boeing and Alaska Airlines by passengers after a panel flew off one of Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 aircraft in January 2024.

Boeing, Alaska Airlines sued by flight attendants

The flight attendants’ lawsuits were filed Tuesday in Seattle’s King County Superior Court. The lawsuits don’t detail the specific experiences of each attendant, although the filing claims all four crew members experienced physical and mental injuries, emotional distress, and financial costs.

Flight 1282 departed from Portland on January 5, 2024, en route to Ontario, California. During the flight, a panel flew off the aircraft at 16,000 feet in the air. The plane returned to Portland in a safe landing, with minor injuries reported by seven passengers and one flight attendant.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a full investigation into Flight 1282 and released its results in June. The NTSB determined that Boeing did not properly train its employees and failed to implement a system for identifying human errors.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was also named in the NTSB report, claiming that the FAA failed to monitor Boeing’s ability to address recurring issues with its aircraft.

KIRO 7 obtained a copy of the four flight attendants’ statements in the filings from Clifford Law, the plaintiff’s attorney. Tracy Brammeier is the lead attorney representing each of the four plaintiff’s in the lawsuits.

“When the door plug blew off the aircraft on flight 1282, each of the four flight attendants acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers’ safety first while fearing for their lives,” Brammeier said. “They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering traumatic experience caused by Boeing’s negligence in the 737 MAX production process.”

Flight attendant Michelle Hughes claimed the incident left her with mental damages that influenced her personal life and made it hard to return to the job the job she loved.

“This act of negligence caused both physical and mental damages which profoundly impaired my personal and professional life. It also resulted in many challenges to return to my dream job that I had proudly made my career.”

The lawsuits accuse Boeing of product liability, claiming the plane used for Flight 1282 was unsafe to operate. Boeing’s negligence within its manufacturing operations and practices was also mentioned.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Boeing knew passengers could be flying on unsafe aircraft and continued to operate these planes.

Boeing and Alaska Airlines declined to comment on the lawsuits filed Tuesday.

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