The man was saved by his seatbelt as air rushed out of the hole
(Picture: AP)
A man who was almost sucked out of a plane mid-flight is suing the airline and the plane manufacturer after allegedly suffering injuries.
Passenger Cuong Tran was seated in a window seat behind the door plug that blew out mid-air on the now infamous Alaska airlines flight earlier this year, causing rapid depressurization in the cabin of the Boeing 737 Max 9 jet.
The man was saved by his seatbelt as air rushed out of the hole, sucking away his iPhone and tearing off his shoes and socks.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times at the time, he recounted the traumatising experience: ‘I was just dozing off, my phone in hand, and then the captain messaged we were above 10,000 feet,’ he said. ‘Next thing I know, I hear this whoosh sound — really strong-sounding wind.’
‘I was just in disbelief, to be honest. I was like what’s going on here, why does everything feel so weird? Next thing I know I’m like oh, s— there’s a big hole. I was just registering everything in slow motion.’
A separate class-action also alleges malfunctioning of the oxygen masks malfunctioned, while claiming some passengers were hit with debris and suffered whiplash (Picture: AP)
Passenger Cuong Tran was seated in a window seat behind the door plug that blew out mid-air. (Picture: AP)
Alongside six other fellow passengers, Mr Tran has decided to sue Alaska, the airline, Boeing, the plane’s manufacturer, and its supplier Spirit Aerosystems.
The suit was filed yesterday in Washington’s King county superior court. It adds to other existing lawsuits filed by several other passengers on the flight, some of which are representing as many as 33 passengers. In some cases, the plaintiffs are seeking up to $1bn in damages (£918,000,000).
A separate class-action also alleges malfunctioning of the oxygen masks malfunctioned, while claiming some passengers were hit with debris and suffered whiplash.
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The now infamous incident occurred on January 5, prompting the US Federal Aviation Administration to ground some Boeing 737 Max 9 planes as it investigates, while the US justice department is carrying out a criminal investigation into the company.
Ari Friedman, a lawyer representing the passengers, said: ‘We can look at it through the lens of the product defects, or we can also look at it through the lens of what happens when companies think that they can start cutting corners, save their share price a few points, at the expense of the travelling public and the communities that these planes fly.’
The incident adds more pressure on Boeing, which saw two Boeing’s 737 Max 8 jets crash in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.
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