Three of the passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 are suing both the airline and Boeing for $1 billion, according to a lawsuit obtained by CBS News.
The lawsuit, filed by passengers Kyle Rinker, Amanda Strickland and Kevin Kwok, alleges that negligence caused the Jan. 5 incident in which a shutter on the plane exploded mid-flight, forcing a horrific emergency landing.
According to the complaint, all three passengers allegedly suffered “severe mental, emotional and psychological injuries, including post-traumatic stress, and physical injuries” that were a “direct result of the horrific, fatal failure of the Boeing aircraft.” ”
The lawsuit also cited specific bodily harm and alleged that the sudden change in pressure in the cabin “caused some passengers to bleed from their ears,” according to CBS.
In a press release, Jonathan W. Johnson, LLC — the Atlanta-based aviation law firm that filed the complaint on behalf of the passengers — wrote that “it seeks to hold Boeing accountable for its negligence, which caused extreme panic, fear, etc. “Post-traumatic stress.”
The jet passengers boarded Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 after the emergency landing.
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty
The lawsuit also seeks “substantial punitive damages from Boeing for a preventable incident and because the manufacturing defects affected numerous other aircraft and threatened the lives of passengers on all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft,” the release said, noting that all 737 Max 9 jets were grounded by the FAA after the flight.
Alaska Airlines' 737-9 fleet returned to the air in late January after being inspected for safety and cleared for use by the FAA.
Boeing told PEOPLE, “We have nothing to add” to the litigation. Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
Stephen Brashear/Getty
All 177 passengers aboard Flight 1282, flying from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, survived the emergency landing that occurred after a plug door exploded at 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane.
All 171 passengers and six crew members returned to the airport safely, although some passengers “suffered injuries that required medical attention,” an Alaska Airlines press release said at the time.
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About a week after the emergency landing, Alaska Airlines offered passengers compensation. In a statement to PEOPLE, the airline said it issued a full refund to each guest.
NTSB via Getty
“As an immediate gesture of care, we also made a cash payment of $1,500 within the first 24 hours to cover any incidental costs and ensure their immediate needs are met,” the statement said.
The airline also said it offers “24/7 access to mental health resources and counseling” and will “continue to work with them to address their specific needs and concerns.”
One of the survivors documented the harrowing experience on Tiktok.
A passenger named Courtney, who appears on the app as @imsocorny. known, recalled in a video shared on the platform the moment she heard part of the plane's fuselage being torn off shortly after takeoff, and the terrifying minutes that followed.
“We all heard a really loud bang, a jolt and a blast of air that came back at us really quickly,” she says in the video. “Immediately, the next moment, the oxygen masks came down from the overhead compartment.” Everyone quickly put their masks on without any announcement needed, she says.
Sitting at the front of the plane, she added that she had no idea what happened. The oxygen masks blocked the view through the cabin, but she knew something was definitely wrong.
“I really thought it was the engine – I thought an engine had broken or a wing had failed. That second was so loud and shocking. I thought we were going to take a nosedive at any moment. For a full 15 to 20 minutes that felt like a lifetime, every second that passed I thought we were going to start nose diving.”
Shortly after the incident, Portland resident Sean Bates went viral after sharing photos of an iPhone he believes came from the Alaska Airlines flight in a post X.
He said the phone was “still in airplane mode with half battery and open for baggage claim.” #AlaskaAirlines ASA1282” when he found it.