“They tried to put the blame on us”: development in the serious incident that occurred on the flight

The captain of the Alaska Airlines plane, whose emergency door flew off during the flight, is suing Boeing, accusing it of trying to “scapegoat the pilots.” Brandon Fisher’s lawyers filed the lawsuit this week in an Oregon court, demanding $10 million in damages.

In January 2024, Flight 1282 took off from Portland, en route to Ontario, California. But at an altitude of 16,000 feet, the emergency door of the Boeing 737 Max flew open and the passengers were forced to sit in the air with a huge hole in the fuselage.

The pilots declared an emergency and descended below 10,000 feet, so there was enough oxygen for normal breathing. “Had it not been for Captain Fisher’s bravery and display of composure under pressure, the outcome would have been catastrophic,” the lawsuit states. “Captain Fisher and First Officer Emily Wyprod made a safe emergency landing despite chaotic conditions.”

An investigation by US authorities later found that the plane had left the Boeing factory without several key screws, which were supposed to secure the door. The investigation revealed that Boeing workers removed some screws to fix the emergency door, but did not put them back in place. Furthermore, the work was not properly documented, which means that no inspection was carried out that could have located the missing screws.

According to the pilot, Boeing removed responsibility for the incident, claiming that its products “were improperly maintained or misused by people who are not part of the company’s staff.” Therefore, Fisher’s lawsuit states: “It was clear that Boeing’s words were directed at Captain Fisher in an attempt to present him as a scapegoat for Boeing’s many failures.” The lawsuit also states that Fisher suffered emotional distress as a result. “Boeing’s words dramatically exacerbated the life-changing effects this incident caused Captain Fisher.”

In an internal memo, revealed by Business Insider, and sent to employees shortly after the incident, the CEO of Boeing’s commercial aircraft division at the time, Stan Deal, said: “We commend the pilots and crew of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 for their actions to land the aircraft safely.”