Alaska Airlines passengers on terrifying door blow-out flight sue firm for $1BN

02 March 2024 , 22:56

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An American couple is trying to sue a popular airline for $1billion after a mid-flight problem saw a door plug blow out right next to their seats.

Amanda Strickland and her boyfriend Kyle Rinker were heading to Onatrio, California, on January 5, when the scary incident occurred. They, as well as a third person on the aircraft, are trying to claim the eye-watering figure from Alaska Airlines and Boeing for what they claim was a traumatising experience.

The Portland couple say their lives have been changed forever since they stepped on the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 at the beginning of the year. Ms Strickland said: "I don’t think there has been a day that’s gone by that we haven’t thought about it."

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Alaska Airlines passengers on terrifying door blow-out flight sue firm for $1BN eiqtiqhiqqhinv

A couple from Portland are suing Boeing and Alaska Airlines after a door plug blew out mid-flight (NTSB/SWNS)

The duo were sat a couple rows diagonally behind a 15-year-old whose shirt was ripped off when the plug blew out of the plane and strong winds were sent through the cabin. They say the chilling wind while up in the air made it hard to hear what was happening, and they just held onto each other, hoping for a landing.

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Ms Strickland continued: “It was so intense, the whole thing. We couldn’t hear anything that was going on. All we felt was the air and heard the sound of the air rushing by.”

Their attorney, Jonathan Johnson, says the warning signs were there before passengers even stepped foot on that plane, KOMO news reports. He explained: "The issue with Alaska, on this particular aircraft, they had several warnings, air pressure monitor warnings. In fact, I think they had said this aircraft couldn't fly over water."

The couple were sitting just a few rows from where the door plug blew out from and have been left scarred (UKNIP)

A phone is thought to have been sucked out of an Alaska Airlines plane after one of its windows exploded (Elizabeth/CBS news)

"I think some of their problems recently is that they outsource some of the manufacturing, and even if they have adequate safety protocols at Boeing. When they use third-party contractors, they aren't necessarily making sure that the contractors follow the same safety protocols, so you could have a contractor send in a part that is not meeting those safety protocols."

The cause behind the terrifying mid-air window blow out on an Alaska Airlines plane travelling at 16,000ft was revealed a couple of weeks after it happened. At the time, officials confirmed the situation would have been "tragic" had the two nearest seats been occupied which, in a stroke of luck, they were not.

Further inspection by officials suggests that a malfunctioning door plug that detached was the reason behind an Alaska Airlines aircraft that blew off a panel at 16,000 feet.

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The airline and Boeing are being sued for $1billion by three passengers (National Transportation Safety B)

Following the terrifying collapse on the trip from Portland to Ontario International in California, accident investigators have praised the miracle that kept all occupants of the Boeing 737 Max 9 alive: their seatbelts. At a press conference, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that it was likely that passengers were wearing seatbelts because seats next to the blowout, which happened when the door plug detached from the aircraft, were empty.

The mishap depressurized the cabin and caused disarray, according to Homendy, as headrests disconnected from two adjacent passenger seats, one seat's back was missing, andclothing was left in the vicinity.

Investigators have said if anyone was sat next to the where the door flew out it could have been a tragic outcome (NTSB/SWNS)

Both Strickland and Rinker say they want accountability for what happened to them and want to make sure this never happens again - one of the reasons they are claiming £1billion in punitive damages.

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said the company could not comment on pending litigation. The matter, which involved dozens of passengers onboard the flight, is currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. It's not known exactly when this will be concluded.