Boeing and Alaska Airlines have firmly sidestepped legal accountability for passenger injuries during a door plug blowout on a 737 Max jet this past January.
The incident, which led to three lawsuits across state and federal courts in Oregon and Washington, saw passengers alleging physical and emotional harm following a sudden cabin depressurization. Despite the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary findings pointing to a missing quartet of bolts on the door plug, Boeing’s legal filings to the U.S. district court in Seattle strike a chord of denial over liability for the passengers’ claims.
The aerospace giant asserted that any injuries stemmed from the product being “improperly maintained, or misused by persons and/or entities other than Boeing.”
Echoing Boeing’s tune, albeit in its own key, Alaska Airlines has also disclaimed responsibility. The airline’s legal response attributes the injuries and damages to the actions of those beyond its control, specifically nodding to “Defendant The Boeing Company and/or non-party Spirit AeroSystems” as potential culprits.
Passenger Pain and Panic: Allegations of Physical and Emotional Trauma
Daniel Laurence, spearheading the legal charge for the passengers, expressed his dismay at the companies’ reluctance to own up to the situation. They’re putting up a wall and circling the wagons,” Laurence remarked, highlighting a widespread belief and evidence suggesting that a disaster was narrowly averted due to the unsecured door plug.
The passengers’ class-action lawsuit paints a grim picture of the ordeal, with claims of bleeding ears, head pain, and traumatic stress, not to mention allegations of malfunctioning oxygen masks—a claim Alaska Airlines contests.
Boeing's Paper Trail—or Lack Thereof—Intrigues Federal Investigators
The stance taken by Boeing and Alaska Airlines arrives amidst a growing wave of scrutiny over Boeing’s product quality, sparking investigations and audits by the NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of Justice.
Notably, the NTSB has flagged Boeing for its less-than-cooperative attitude in not producing documents related to the door plug incident—documents Boeing claims are non-existent. This saga adds another layer to the already complex narrative surrounding the 737 Max series, which has faced its fair share of headlines since the incident on January 5.