Alaska Airlines Pilot Sues Boeing for $10M Over Blame-Shifting After Door Plug Blowout

The pilot who safely landed an Alaska Airlines jet following a midair cabin panel failure is suing Boeing. Capt. Brandon Fisher accuses the aircraft maker of trying to scapegoat him for the incident.

Fisher filed the lawsuit on Dec. 30 in Oregon, seeking $10 million in damages. It stems from Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9 that made an emergency landing shortly after departing Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 5, 2024. A cabin door plug blew out mid-flight, but all 177 people on board survived.

In June, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) blamed “multiple system failures” by Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Yet Fisher’s complaint alleges Boeing denied responsibility in a related class-action defense, claiming its products were “improperly maintained or misused by persons and/or entities other than Boeing.”

“Boeing knew this statement was false… but made it anyway as part of its often-used post-accident strategy to blame pilots,” the suit states. It claims the remarks targeted Fisher to deflect from Boeing’s “numerous failures,” causing him severe emotional distress and worsening the incident’s “life-changing impacts.”

Four flight attendants from the flight filed separate lawsuits against Boeing in August, citing physical and emotional injuries, according to Reuters. Aviation officials and Boeing executives have praised the Flight 1282 crew’s emergency response.

A Boeing spokesperson told FOX Business the company is advancing a “comprehensive safety and quality plan” with employee input and regulatory oversight. “In the past two years, we’ve taken a disciplined look at every facet of our production operations,” the spokesperson said, noting improvements in safety management, quality assurance, and culture.