Six passengers on board an Alaska Airlines flight that exploded in the air last week and forced an emergency landing filed a class-action lawsuit against the plane's manufacturer, Boeing Co., on Thursday.
The lawsuit was filed in Washington Superior Court in King County by the Stritomater Company on behalf of the passenger and one relative. The plaintiffs claimed in court documents that the incident caused some people to suffer physical and “emotional distress.”
Last Friday, an “explosive depressurization” occurred on a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft flying from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, and a panel blocking an unused emergency exit door was blown off mid-flight.
The lawsuit also alleges that the Boeing agent's “misconduct” “caused harm and harm” to the plaintiffs and other passengers.
Daniel Lawrence, an attorney for Stritomatter, said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) “has not yet determined the exact root cause of Flight 1282's alarming decompression.”
“However, given Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun's candid admission that this horrific event was caused by Boeing's 'mistakes,' our passenger customers need to ensure that they and all other passengers “We will assist registered domestic partners as soon as reasonably possible who have chosen to file a lawsuit as soon as reasonably possible to seek fair compensation for the injuries to their spouses and family members,” Lawrence said in a press release. mentioned in.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday launched a full investigation into whether Boeing Co. failed to ensure that its planes complied with safety regulations.
The agency also announced plans to increase its oversight of the company, including conducting an audit “involving the Boeing 737-9 MAX production line and its suppliers to assess Boeing's compliance with approved quality procedures.” did.
“The grounding of the 737-9 and production-related issues identified in recent years require us to consider all options to reduce risk,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement.
“The FAA is considering the use of an independent third party to oversee Boeing's inspection and quality systems,” Whitaker said.
More than 100 Boeing planes have been grounded since Saturday as the NTSB and FAA investigate.
calhoun The company said it plans to It will “cooperate fully and transparently” with the investigation.
Strittmatter also sued Alaska Airlines in November on behalf of three passengers after an off-duty pilot was accused of trying to turn off the engine mid-flight. Former pilot Joseph Emerson, 44, has pleaded not guilty to reckless endangerment and is currently awaiting trial.
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