Alaska Airlines flight attendants sue Boeing for mid-air cabin panel blowout

Four flight attendants on the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plane hit by a mid-air cabin panel blowout in January last year are suing Boeing for physical and psychological injuries, the Seattle Times said on Thursday.

In separate lawsuits seeking compensation for past and future economic damages, they cited physical and mental injuries, emotional distress and other financial costs related to the incident, the newspaper added.

“Each of the four flight attendants acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers’ safety first while fearing for their lives,” it cited lawyer Tracy Brammeier, who is representing them, as saying.

“They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering traumatic experience.”

The lawsuits, filed on Tuesday in Seattle’s King County Superior Court, accused Boeing of product liability for delivering a plane that was unsafe to operate and for negligence in manufacturing practices, the paper said.

Boeing declined to comment, while Alaska Airlines and Brammeier did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Boeing failed to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight to prevent the incident.

The board criticized Boeing’s safety culture and its failure to install four key bolts in a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9 during production, as well as ineffective oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration.