A group of passengers who were on an Alaska Airlines flight that made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, last week after a portion of the fuselage blew out have filed a class-action lawsuit against Boeing. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of six passengers and a relative in Washington state, alleges that the incident caused physical injuries and emotional trauma to the passengers. The flight, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, was bound for Ontario, California, when the door plug blew out just minutes after takeoff. Fortunately, the plane was able to safely return to Portland International Airport, and while some passengers sustained minor injuries, no one was seriously hurt. The lawsuit claims that the event caused bruising, bleeding ears, severe headaches, and extreme shock and terror for the passengers. It also notes that a boy’s shirt was ripped off due to the force of the depressurization. The lawsuit holds Boeing responsible for the safety of the aircraft’s design and maintenance, citing statements from Boeing’s CEO acknowledging the company’s mistake. It also mentions that Spirit AeroSystems, the manufacturer of the blown-out door plug, is facing a separate federal class-action lawsuit for alleged quality failures in its products. The Federal Aviation Administration has since grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9s with plug doors, and an investigation has been launched into whether Boeing failed to ensure the jet’s conformity to design and compliance with FAA regulations. The National Transportation Safety Board has discovered four unaccounted-for bolts that should have kept the door panel in place and is investigating their existence. Both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines have reported finding loose hardware, such as bolts that needed tightening, during inspections of their grounded 737 Max 9s.
Disclaimer: Only the headline and content of this report may have been reworked by Newsearay, staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. The Article was originally published on Source link
Passengers sue Boeing in class-action lawsuit over Alaska Airlines door blowout.
