KING COUNTY, Wash. — Four more passengers of the Alaska Airlines flight which lost a panel on its fuselage at 16,000 feet are suing the company and Boeing, who manufactured the 737 Max 9 airplane.
The suit was filed in a King County superior court by attorney Mark Lindquist. The lawsuit alleges that Boeing and Alaska Airlines were both negligent in the lead-up to the incident, which the passengers say resulted in physical pain, intense fear, distress, anxiety and trauma.
The plaintiffs, two from California and two from Washington, say some of the oxygen masks on the plane did not work and they feared they were going to die, echoing the concerns of six other passengers who have already filed a lawsuit against the plane manufacturer. This is the first suit filed against Alaska Airlines over the incident.
One plaintiff is quoted as thinking to themselves, “This is the end.”
Another plaintiff texted their mother, “Mom our plane depressed. [sic] We’re in masks. I love you.”
A pattern of negligence by Boeing
The lawsuit situates the latest incident aboard a Boeing jet among a pattern of negligent actions on part of the manufacturer which have endangered, and in notable instances killed passengers, citing the Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia which claimed 346 lives.
The lawsuit quotes Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun who admitted following the most recent incident that there was a “quality escape” and acknowledged there had been a mistake leading to the failure of a door plug which caused a panel on the plane to separate from the aircraft.
Since the plane was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines found issues with its own 737 Max 9 jets, including loose bolts, on the same part of the aircraft that blew out on the Alaska Airlines flight.
The suit argues that Boeing violated its duty of care to airline passengers by manufacturing a defective door plug and failing in their quality control measures, endangering the lives of the people aboard.
Known issues with the Alaska Airlines jet
Alaska Airlines, also named in the lawsuit, documented that the aircraft which would later lose the panel in-air had previously indicated issues with cabin pressurization on three previous flights. The plane was deemed unsafe to make long flights over water but was still allowed to fly shorter routes like the one from Portland to Ontario, Calif., that the 737 Max 9 in question was flying.
The suit alleges negligence on Alaska’s part, saying their failure to fix the aircraft and warn passengers of the documented problems combined with the company's continued operation of the aircraft even after the airline knew there were issues endangered the lives of passengers.
The plaintiffs are asking the companies to compensate for an array of damages, attorney fees, and pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, among other costs, pending a finding from a King County jury.