Flight attendants sue Boeing over Alaska Airlines door blowout

(NewsNation) — Four Alaska Airlines flight attendants have filed lawsuits against Boeing claiming they “sustained injuries of a personal, permanent, and pecuniary nature," after a door blew out midflight last year.

The four separate lawsuits, filed in Seattle’s King County Superior Court this week, are related to Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. The midair cabin panel blowout occurred on a Boeing 737 Max 9 flight shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport on Jan. 5, 2024. Footage captured by passengers on the flight showed a gaping hole left by the door as pilots made an emergency landing.

"When the door plug blew off the aircraft on flight 1282, each of the four flight attendants acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers' safety first while fearing for their lives," attorney Tracy Brammeier said in a statement to ABC News. "They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering, traumatic experience caused by Boeing's negligence in the 737 MAX production process."

The flight attendants are seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages. As of Friday morning, Boeing had not released a statement in response to the lawsuits.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that four bolts meant to secure the door plug were missing when the blowout occurred and that Boeing records showed evidence the plug had been reinstalled without bolts before the initial delivery of the aircraft. In June, the board determined the blowout was the result of “multiple system failures.”