Alaska Airlines pilot who safely landed plane after panel blew out says Boeing unfairly blamed him
Alaska Airlines pilot universally praised as a hero for safely landing a jet door plug panel flew He is suing Boeing shortly after takeoff because he believes the planemaker has falsely tried to implicate him and the rest of the crew in past legal filings.
Capt. Brandon Fisher was praised by the heads of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and even Boeing executives for helping ensure that none of the 177 people on board were rescued. flight 1282 He was killed in an explosion in January 2024.
But Fisher’s attorneys say that despite the findings of the NTSB investigation, Boeing’s attempts to avoid liability in past cases led to the pilot being sued by some passengers and caused him great distress.
“Boeing’s lie also infuriated Captain Fisher because, instead of being praised, he was being scolded for his actions,” Fisher’s attorneys, William Walsh and Richard Mummalo, said in the lawsuit filed in a court in Oregon. “Having flown Boeing airplanes for the entirety of his job with Alaska Airlines, Boeing’s attempts to blame him felt like a deep, personal betrayal from a company that claims to hold pilots in the highest regard.”
Four flight attendants previously sued Boeing over the incident last summer.
NTSB investigation Following the explosion, it was revealed that while the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft was being assembled, four bolts securing the part known as the door plug panel were removed and were never replaced during the repair. Boeing and major supplier Spirit Aerosystems, which has since been acquired by Boeing, were involved.
The explosion occurred just minutes after the plane took off from Portland, Oregon, creating a roaring air pocket. Seven passengers and a flight attendant suffered minor injuries, but the plane managed to land safely.
2-foot by 4-foot (61 centimeters by 122 centimeters) body piece covering an unused emergency exit The rear of the left wing exploded. Only seven seats were available on the flight, including the two seats closest to the landing.
Boeing plant employees told NTSB investigators: I felt pressure to work too fast and were asked to do jobs for which they were not qualified.
Fisher’s lawsuit describes how he and the co-pilot, after losing cabin pressure, acted quickly, dropping altitude and working with air traffic controllers to avoid other planes in the area as the panel took off to get the plane safely back to Portland.
In a memo to employees after the incident, Stan Deal, president of Boeing’s commercial aircraft unit, praised the Alaska Airlines crew for landing the plane safely.
Boeing has not commented directly on this new lawsuit. But the company’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, has made improving safety a top priority since taking over the top job at Boeing in August 2024.
FAA Boeing fined $3.1 million After the door gag incident, inspectors found excessive security violations. But in October, the agency allowed Boeing to increase 737 Max production to 42 planes per month because inspectors were satisfied with measures the company had taken to improve safety.
Alaska Airlines also declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said the airline was “grateful to our crew members for their courage and quick thinking in ensuring the safety of everyone on board on Flight 1282.”
