blunder

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.

READ MORE: Off-duty pilot who ‘tried to crash plane’ while high on mushrooms makes wild confessionREAD MORE: Haunting final words of airport worker before he crashed plane on purpose

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.”

The Frenchman talked about building castles in the sky. He laboured under the fatal impression that he had time to deliver his vision and that he deserved patience. In his parallel universe he said that winning wasn’t everything while his masterpiece was under construction.

It was all about the “process.” He called on people to look at his past record as evidence of his ability. “Do your job,” he told journalists the day before failing to do his in a 3-1 home loss to Rangers, following on from a 2-0 defeat by Motherwell.

Nancy and Tisdale had to go. What’s also obvious is that the hapless state of the club goes way deeper than those two over-promoted characters. It goes back to who ratified their appointments and why. It goes back to Celtic not just losing their way on the field but off it. It goes to the very top.

Celtic have now lost a manager, a head of football operations and a chairman (Peter Lawwell, driven out by an abusive element in the support) since Hogmanay.

The lack of communication from the club is remarkable. Never mind the extreme elements of the support, regular fans – the vast, vast majority – feel a profound disconnection, an alienation from what is going on.

There is a sense of entitlement among some, for sure, and it’s easy to poke fun at that given all the titles Celtic have won. But, elsewhere, there’s just an anger about a club on the drift, making lousy decisions, going backwards domestically and in Europe while sitting on close to £80m in the bank.

These fans talk of a lack of ambition, a lack of a plan under the current board, led by Michael Nicholson, the chief executive, and Dermot Desmond, the major shareholder, and the power in the shadows.

Celtic’s vision seems to amount to staying ahead of Rangers and seeing what they can get out of Europe, if anything.

Brendan Rodgers railed against that thinking and his relationship with the powerbrokers at the club crashed and burned. There was a callousness about his exit and the brutal words about him from Desmond. Rodgers, for all his flaws, did not deserve that.

His assistant manager, John Kennedy, also left at that time. Kennedy had been at Celtic for 27 years as player and coach and yet he was given barely a sentence in a statement when he departed. He deserved more. It’s a legitimate question to ask – where’s the dignity and the class?

There’s not a big picture view at Celtic, or not one that’s apparent. Celtic could finish off their stadium and make it a near 80,000 citadel, one of the continent’s best, but they haven’t done it.

They could build one of football’s greatest museums – lord knows they have enough icons and great moments to fill it – but there’s no sign of it.

They could have deployed a modern and razor-sharp scouting system, but they haven’t done that either.

They bob along, cash-rich and content with bossing it parochially, but even that is now at risk. The emergence of Hearts and the support they’re getting from Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics is threatening to change the game in a very significant way.

Celtic thought they could take a gamble on Nancy because they couldn’t imagine a world where any other side could rival their hold over the league title, their bread and butter.

Fans of The Traitors are searching for answers over the show’s new twist – the Secret Traitor. But viewers think they may have spotted a massive blunder in the background of The Traitors: Uncloaked

Eagle-eyed Traitors fans are convinced they have sussed out who the secret traitor is, after an apparent blunder on spin-off show Uncloaked. With the most recent season of The Traitors starting on New Year’s Day, the format was switched up slightly by BBC bosses, who added in a ‘secret traitor’, as well as the three traitors as usual.

But when fans were watching The Traitors: Uncloaked, they spotted what some thought was a blunder on the show’s behalf. Clocking the photos on the wall behind the hosts, one X user wrote: “Why are the 3 traitors pictured on the wall…..with Harriet.”

Another added: “Spoiler: The portraits of the traitors are in the background of #traitorsuncloaked…. Plus an additional one. Harriet the secret traitor! #TheTraitorsUK #Traitors”

READ MORE: Unmasked star of The Traitors reveals mistakes he made which led to downfall in first interview

A third posted: “Have Uncloaked revealed the identity of the Secret Traitor already?… Imagine though, what a plot twist!? #TheTraitorsUK #TheTraitors”. Although it’s unlikely the producers would make a mistake so obvious, fans are so desperate to crack the puzzle, they are getting “suspicious” over anything – including contestants’ handwriting and choice of words.

During a confessional, psychologist Ellie said she was hesitant as she didn’t want people to think she is the “Secret Traitor”, leading fans to question how she knew those words if the Faithfuls are unaware of this year’s twist. In the interview room, Ellie said: “People will question whether you are sitting and watching as a kind of Secret Traitor…”

Picking up on her choice of words, one fan asked: “Anyone notice Ellie talking in the interview room and saying ‘people will question whether you are sitting & watching as a kind of secret traitor’.”

Another added: “Ellie saying ‘don’t want to look like a secret traitor’ as a faithful who don’t know about a secret traitor??? Suspicious wording.” And a third agreed: “Ellie saying ‘thinking I’m some secret traitor’, why would you say secret and not just traitor unless it’s on your mind?”

Host Claudia Winkleman introduced the new twist to the show on January 1, revealing that for the first time, there would be a fourth traitor, who is unknown to everyone – including traitors and viewers. This secret traitor, who is awarded a scarlet cloak, would call the shots, picking a shortlist of three people that the other traitors could murder.

Speculation is rife among fans, with everyone dying to know who the new secret traitor could be. Last night’s episode (January 3) saw tensions only rise among the traitors, with viewers almost witnessing the uncloaking of the secret traitor.

After Hugo was betrayed by fellow traitor Stephen, the first traitor was banished. The remaining two were set a secret mission that could help them uncover the identity of the secret traitor.

Stephen and Rachel had to highlight the family tree of players with red ink, saying who could be murdered. If they marked nine names, they would not only get to murder a player that evening, but they would also meet the secret traitor.

They succeeded in their mission, but not before almost giving themselves away to Reece. As such, that night, the secret traitor made their way to the traitors’ turret.

But with the credits rolling, viewers will have to wait until at least Wednesday 7 January to find out who it is. That’s if the show reveals it at all.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

READ MORE: Hours remain to grab Amazon’s Fire TV Stick at better than half-price

Joel Dommett has admitted to a major blunder during filming of The Masked Singer Christmas special.

Joel Dommett has disclosed how he plunged The Masked Singer festive special into complete pandemonium during recording following an inadvertent gaffe.

The presenter is making his comeback to the cherished ITV contest, working alongside panellists Jonathan Ross, Maya Jama, Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan.

They’ll be attempting to uncover the true identities of the famous participants alongside audiences at home, using a series of cryptic hints.

Four well-known personalities will perform on stage whilst concealing their identities, disguised as Santa’s Sack, Mistletoe, a Goose A-Laying and Figgy Pudding.

The yuletide episode broadcasts on Boxing Day, with a complete series following several weeks afterwards, reports Wales Online.

It’s now emerged that recording for the seasonal show spiralled into mayhem when Joel inadvertently revealed one of the concealed celebrities.

He confessed to recognising the distinctive giggle from behind Mistletoe’s mask, blurting out their actual identity before realising his error and collapsing to the ground.

The I’m A Celebrity Unpacked presenter told The Sun: “I can’t believe I did it. This person was chuckling in the costume and it’s a chuckle I know well and I said their name. It just came out. Their actual name!”

He continued: “Thankfully, [the judges] had pretty much guessed who it was.

“But producers did reiterate to me that I wasn’t to do that again. I was on the naughty step.”

The Masked Singer UK Christmas special will also showcase a collection of pantomime legends, including Fairy Godmother (Su Pollard), the dame (Christopher Biggins), Wicked Stepmother (Lesley Joseph) and Prince Charming (Basil Brush), who will be offering hints to the judging panel.

This follows Joel’s recent mishap several weeks back whilst recording I’m A Celebrity’s companion show Unpacked.

The presenter was compelled to say sorry after inadvertently cursing, when his regular broadcast was dramatically disrupted after being “assaulted” by a flying insect.

He frantically jumped up from his chair whilst frantically batting at a fly, exclaiming: “Ohhh f***ing hell, that’s massive.”

He swiftly bounced back from the blunder, remembering he was on live television.

“I’m sorry I swore,” he said apologetically, before adding: “That was absolutely petrifying.”

The Masked Singer Christmas Special airs Boxing Day at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.