More passengers have joined a lawsuit against Alaska Airlines over a midair door plug blowout of a Boeing 737-9 MAX last month. Attorney for the plaintiffs Mark Lindquist say that passengers from a previous flight reported hearing “a whistling sound” from the “vicinity” of the door plug.
But no known further action was taken after the pilot checked cockpit instruments, “which purportedly read normal,” Lindquist said in a statement, in which he cited that the National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report found the cockpit door was designed to blow out in a depressurization situation. Pilots and crew were not informed of the design feature, which created “shock, noise, and communication difficulties” that contributed to strained communication between the flight crew and passengers, which intensified confusion and stress..
“Boeing is still cutting corners on quality,” Lindquist said in his statement. “The company is cutting so many corners, they’re going in circles.”
The NTSB preliminary report found Boeing delivered the plane to Alaska Airlines with four retaining bolts missing, which resulted in the eventual door plug blowout.
“This plane was a ticking bomb,” Lindquist said. “A blowout could have happened at a cruising altitude where it would have been catastrophic.”
