Clifford Law Offices filed lawsuits on July 29, 2025, on behalf of the four flight attendants who suffered injuries when a Boeing aircraft’s door plug blew off the plane in mid-flight.
The four complaints filed in King County Superior Court in Washington state allege that Boeing’s failure to ensure the aircraft was airworthy caused the crew to suffer both physical and psychological trauma.
Each of the four attendants – Adam Fisher, Michelle Hughes, Steven Maller, and Christine Vasconcellos – has brought an individual claim, and all four are seeking damages for personal injury, medical expenses, emotional distress, and loss of earnings.
“When the door plug blew off the aircraft on Flight 1282, each of the four flight attendants acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers’ safety first while fearing for their lives,” said Tracy Brammeier, partner at Clifford Law Offices and a member of the firm’s aviation team. “They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering traumatic experience caused by Boeing’s negligence in the 737 MAX production process.”
Michelle Hughes, one of the flight attendants aboard that jet and who filed a complaint, said, “This act of negligence caused both physical and mental damages which profoundly impaired my personal and professional life. It also resulted in many challenges to return to my dream job that I had proudly made my career.”
Christine Vasconcellos, another flight attendant aboard that Alaska Air flight, said, “This event is something that never should have happened. I’m committed to seeking justice, accountability, and making the sky a safe place.”
The complaints center on the January 5, 2024, incident involving Alaska Air Flight 1282 when a cabin door plug separated from the fuselage shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. The plane was headed to Ontario, California.
The aircraft, a nearly new Boeing 737 MAX 9 delivered just two months earlier, was climbing at around 16,000 feet when a deafening blast rocked the cabin. The sudden depressurisation ripped a hole in the side of the aircraft. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation revealed Boeing workers failed to install and secure the bolts that fastened the door plug to the mainframe of the aircraft before delivering the plane to Alaska Airlines. The report issued in June this year also identified failings in the company’s documentation and oversight of production at its Renton, Washington, facility and by suppliers.
The flight attendants’ complaints argue that Boeing’s conduct constitutes gross negligence and represents a clear breach of its duty of care. They describe a harrowing ordeal for the crew, who were forced to respond to an in-flight emergency with no warning.