Passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 sue airline, Boeing for $1 billion

Blown off window

Three passengers from the Alaska Airlines flight that made an emergency landing due to a blown door plug mid-flight are seeking $1 billion in damages from the airline and Boeing, citing negligence.

The lawsuit was filed on Feb. 20 in Multnomah County, Oregon, on behalf of Kyle Rinker, Amanda Strickland, and Kevin Kwok, who were all aboard Alaska Flight 1282 when the incident occurred. The flight was en route from Portland to Ontario, California, in early January when an unused exit door detached from the aircraft shortly after takeoff.

According to the complaint, filed by the aviation law firm Jonathan W. Johnson, LLC, based in Atlanta, the passengers suffered severe mental, emotional, and physical injuries, including post-traumatic stress, as a result of the incident. The sudden pressure change inside the cabin even caused some passengers' ears to bleed.

The firm stated in a news release that it aims to hold Boeing accountable for negligence that caused extreme panic and fear among passengers. It described the incident as preventable and highlighted concerns about similar defects found in other Boeing aircraft during subsequent investigations.

The lawsuit asserts that the incident is indicative of a broader pattern of prioritizing profits over safety by Boeing and Alaska Airlines.

Flight 1282 departed from Portland International Airport and returned safely after about 40 minutes in the air, during which time the door detachment occurred. Despite the safe landing, several passengers sustained minor injuries and lost personal belongings sucked out through the opening. One passenger even had his shirt ripped off by the force of the wind.

A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that four bolts crucial for securing the door plug were missing from the aircraft. This finding prompted Alaska Airlines and United Airlines to cancel flights involving Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for inspections, revealing loose hardware on some grounded planes of that model.

In response, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary global grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 9 jets for immediate inspection. The agency is conducting an ongoing investigation into the incident to determine if Boeing failed to ensure the aircraft's compliance with FAA regulations for safe operation.

Boeing faces another class-action lawsuit from passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight, alleging physical injuries and emotional trauma resulting from the Jan. 5 incident. Notably, Alaska Airlines is not a defendant in this suit.