Brandon Fisher was praised for carrying out the emergency landing of the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 when a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff at Portland International Airport
A hero pilot is suing Boeing as he believes the aeroplane manufacturer “attempted to paint him as a scapegoint” following its error that led to an emergency landing.
Brandon Fisher safely brought the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 back to Portland International Airport in Oregon when a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff. He was widely praised for the emergency landing as experts believe his quick thinking ensured all of the 171 passengers and six crew members survived the accident.
But Mr Fisher’s lawyers say Boeing has tried to deflect liability in past lawsuits. Four flight attendants previously sued Boeing over the incident last summer. Now, Mr Fisher’s team says Boeing believes it wasn’t responsible for the blowout in January 2024 because the plane was “improperly maintained or misused” by others.
“It was clear Boeing’s words were directed at Captain Fisher in attempt to paint him as the scapegoat for Boeing’s numerous failures,” Mr Fisher’s lawyers, William Walsh and Richard Mummolo, wrote in the lawsuit filed in an Oregon court.
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and even Boeing executives commended Mr Fisher for his heroics following the horror.
The NTSB investigation since then found that four bolts securing what is known as the door plug panel were removed and never replaced during a repair as the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft was being assembled. Boeing and key supplier Spirit Aerosystems, which has since been acquired by Boeing, were both implicated.
The bolts are hidden behind interior panels in the plane, so they are not something that could have been easily checked in a preflight inspection by the pilot or anyone else from the airline. NTSB investigators determined the door plug was gradually moving upward over the 154 flights prior to the incident before it ultimately flew off.
And Mr Fisher’s lawyers wrote in their latest report: “Boeing’s lie infuriated Captain Fisher as well, as he was being castigated for his actions as opposed to being lauded. Because he had flown Boeing aircraft for the entirety of his employment with Alaska Airlines, Boeing’s attempts to blame him felt like a deep, personal betrayal by a company that claimed to hold pilots in the highest regard.”
The NTSB made clear this was caused by a manufacturing issue and the crew’s actions were exemplary. Experienced pilot John Cox, who is CEO of the Safety Operating Systems aviation safety consulting firm, said the crew did a remarkable job considering what they were dealing with, and no one has faulted the crew. Mr Cox said: “I think the Boeing lawyers were kind of grasping at straws.”
Boeing did not comment directly on this new lawsuit. But the company’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, has made improving safety a top priority ever since he took over the top job at Boeing in August 2024.
Alaska Airlines also declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said the airline remains “grateful to our crew members for the bravery and quick-thinking that they displayed on Flight 1282 in ensuring the safety of all on board.”