Portland, Oregon – Three passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight that made an emergency landing are suing the airline and Boeing for $1 billion, claiming negligence led to the incident. The lawsuit was filed in Multnomah County, Oregon, on behalf of Kyle Rinker, Amanda Strickland, and Kevin Kwok, who were on board Alaska Flight 1282 when a door plug detached mid-flight. The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages from Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft involved in the emergency landing.
The passengers involved in the incident suffered severe mental, emotional, and physical injuries due to the failure of the Boeing aircraft. The sudden pressure change inside the cabin caused some passengers’ ears to bleed. An aviation law firm based in Atlanta, Jonathan W. Johnson, LLC, filed the complaint and aims to hold Boeing accountable for its alleged negligence.
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 departed from Portland International Airport and was en route to California when the emergency landing was initiated. The aircraft had to return to its origin only six minutes into the flight due to the door plug detachment. Passengers onboard the flight reported minor injuries and the loss of personal belongings sucked out through the hole in the aircraft.
Following the incident, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for inspections after reports of loose hardware. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary global grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 9 jets for immediate inspection and ongoing investigations into the safety of the aircrafts.
A class-action lawsuit has been brought against Boeing by passengers of the Alaska Airlines flight, alleging physical injuries and emotional trauma from the incident. Boeing and Alaska Airlines declined to comment on the ongoing litigation and investigations. The FAA continues to support investigations into the emergency landing incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.