A lawsuit against Boeing has alleged that the US manufacturer “attempted to shift blame” onto an Alaska Airlines captain for mistakes made that contributed to a door plug separating from the aircraft midflight in January 2024.
Captain Brandon Fisher, who safely landed the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 on January 5, 2024, following the door plug blowout, filed papers in Oregon’s Multnomah County Circuit Court on December 30, 2025, seeking $10 million in damages.The lawsuit represents the first time that a member of the Alaska Airlines flight crew has launched legal proceedings and follows action already taken by cabin crew members and passengers on the flight.The lawsuit says that Captain Fisher and First Officer Emily Wiprud “should have been hailed as heroes” but instead Boeing “attempted to shift blame, intentionally and falsely claiming” that the pilots “made mistakes that contributed to the incident”.
“Boeing’s actions have had a dramatic and life-altering impact on Captain Fisher. Captain Fisher brings this suit to hold Boeing and its complicit subcontractor, Spirit AeroSystems accountable for what they have done to him and the danger that their actions posed to the public,” read the lawsuit.The lawsuit described a statement by Boeing in a federal court pleading filed on March 11, 2024, as “reprehensible and inaccurate”.Captain Fisher’s lawsuit says in Boeing’s response to a lawsuit brought by Elna Berry and other passengers, the company claimed that it “should not be held responsible for injuries because its products were improperly maintained or misused by persons and/or entities other than Boeing”.
“Boeing knew this statement was false at the time it was made but made it anyway as part of its often-used post-accident strategy to blame pilots for incidents caused solely by its own actions,” alleges the lawsuit.The lawsuit also highlighted website articles in the following days that reported on Boeing’s statement.“It was clear Boeing’s words were directed at Captain Fisher in attempt to paint him as the scapegoat for Boeing’s numerous failures,” alleges the lawsuit.