Passenger who was almost sucked out of Alaska Airlines flight when 737 Max panel was torn off mid flight joins six others suing carrier and Boeing claiming his shoes and socks were ripped off and only the seat belt saved his life

More passengers who were left traumatized after a blow out that left a door-sized hole in the main cabin during their Alaska Airlines flight in January are suing with one saying that his seat belt saved his life after his shoes and socks were sucked out. 

Seven passengers filed a suit against Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Spirit AeroSystems and 10 other unnamed persons. It was filed in King County in Washington State. The flight was en route from Seattle to Ontario, California. 

The incident appeared to set off a series of high-profile safety failures for Boeing in 2024. Just last week, a Boeing plane lost a wheel after take off, crushing cars below. 

Among the plaintiffs is Cuong Tran, who made headlines worldwide at the time of the incident when his phone was found in Oregon and returned to him intact and still working. 

Tran was seated in the row behind where the hole appeared. In the suit, Tran says that he could feel the pulling from the hole. His shoes and socks were sucked out and he injured his foot when it hit off the seat in front of him. 

On January 5, the door plug blew out on a flight above Oregon causing an emergency landing and a massive federal probe into airline safety

Crucial bolts were MISSING from door plug that blew off Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX plane, according to the NTSB

Just last week, the DOJ announced it was reopening its criminal investigation into the incident 

'Our clients — and likely every passenger on that flight — suffered unnecessary trauma due to the failure of Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, and Alaska Airlines to ensure that the aircraft was in a safe and airworthy condition,' attorney Timothy A. Loranger said. 

The group are seeking punitive damages as well as compensation and damages due to negligence and failing to protect passengers. 

'I was just dozing off, my phone in hand, and then the captain messaged we were above 10,000 feet. Next thing I know, I hear this whoosh sound — really strong-sounding wind,' Tran told The Los Angeles Times in January. 

'My shoe and sock got sucked out of the airplane, along with my phone,' he added. 

Tran also said that he saw a person's shirt get sucked out and fly across the plane. 

On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice had reopened its criminal investigation into the incident. 

'In an event like this, it's normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation,' Alaska Airlines said in a prepared statement. 'We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.'  

The Journal reported that the investigation would assist the Department's review of whether Boeing complied with a previous settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft following two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.

The door plug was later found in the yard of an Oregon teacher

 In 2021, Boeing had agreed to pay $2.5 billion, including a $244 million fine, to settle an investigation into the crashes of flights operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines. 

The company also blamed two employees for deceiving regulators about flaws in the flight-control system.

Boeing has acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it cannot find records for work done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane.

'We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,' Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen. Maria Cantwell last week.

The company said its 'working hypothesis' was that the records about the panel's removal and reinstallation on the 737 MAX final assembly line in Renton, Washington, were never created, even though Boeing's systems required it.