Passengers sue Boeing and Alaska Airlines for $1 billion over mid-air door panel blowout

Three passengers are suing Boeing and Alaska Airlines for $1 billion in damages in the wake of a door panel blowing out midair on their flight.

The suit, announced Feb. 23, accuses Boeing and Alaska Airlines of negligence for allegedly having ignored warning signs that could have prevented the Jan. 5 incident, which forced the plane pilots to make an emergency landing.

‘This experience jeopardized the lives of the 174 passengers and six crew members that were on board,’ a release announcing the suit states. ‘For those reasons, the lawsuit seeks substantial punitive damages … for what was a preventable incident.’

The suit is also seeking damages on behalf of other passengers who may have flown on Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, which were subsequently grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration following the incident.

The suit is not related to another class-action lawsuit filed in January in the immediate wake of the incident.

Boeing 737 Max 9 planes flown by Alaska and United Airlines have resumed regular service. However, both carriers have indicated that they are reconsidering whether to place additional orders with Boeing for additional Max aircraft, including the successor line, the Max 10.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate Boeing over the January blowout incident.

Boeing declined to comment. Alaska said it does not comment on pending litigation or the ongoing NTSB investigation.