Brandon Fisher was praised for making the emergency landing of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 when a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff at Portland International Airport.
An investigator – not a Boeing employee – examines the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 (Image: AP)
A hero pilot is suing Boeing because he believes the aeroplane maker “attempted to make him a scapegoat” after his mistake led to an emergency landing.
Brandon Fisher safely returned Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 after a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff at Portland International Airport in Oregon. He was widely praised for the emergency landing, as experts believe his quick thinking ensured that all 171 passengers and six crew members survived the crash.
But Mr Fisher’s lawyers say Boeing has tried to avoid liability in previous lawsuits. Four flight attendants previously sued Boeing over the incident last summer. Now, Mr Fisher’s team says Boeing believes it was not responsible for the January 2024 explosion because the plane was “improperly maintained or misused” by others.
Mr Fisher’s lawyers, William Walsh and Richard Mamolo, wrote in the suit filed in an Oregon court, “It was clear that Boeing’s words were directed at Captain Fisher in an effort to make him a scapegoat for Boeing’s many failures.“
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A door plug on the plane fell off shortly after takeoff (Image: AP)
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and even Boeing officials, praised Mr Fisher for his heroism after the horror.
An NTSB investigation has since found that four bolts, known as door plug panels, were removed and never replaced during repairs as the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft was being assembled. The investigation implicated both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, a major supplier that Boeing later acquired.
The bolts are hidden behind interior panels in the aircraft, so they are not something that can be easily checked in pre-flight inspection by the pilot or anyone else at the airline. NTSB investigators determined that on flights before the incident, the door plug was slowly moving upward and eventually flew off.
The said door plug has been analyzed in the laboratory as part of the investigation (Image: AP)
And Mr Fisher’s lawyers wrote in their latest report: “Boeing’s lies also enraged Captain Fisher, because he was being condemned rather than praised for his actions. Because he had flown Boeing aircraft throughout his employment with Alaska Airlines, Boeing’s efforts to incriminate him felt like a deep, personal betrayal by a company that claimed to hold pilots in the highest regard.”
The NTSB clarified that a manufacturing problem caused it, and the crew’s actions were exemplary. Veteran pilot John Cox, who is CEO of the aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems, said the crew did a remarkable job considering what they were doing, and no one faulted the crew. Mr Cox said, “I think Boeing’s lawyers were grasping at straws.”
Boeing did not comment directly on the new lawsuit. But company CEO Kelly Ortberg has made improving safety a top priority since taking over the top job at Boeing in August 2024.
Alaska Airlines also declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the airline is “grateful to our crew members for the bravery and quick thinking they displayed to ensure the safety of all passengers on Flight 1282.”
