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Alaska Airlines Captain Sues Boeing for $10 Million, Alleging Scapegoating After 737 Max Door-Plug Blowout

The complaint says Boeing’s legal posture shifted blame to the crew despite NTSB findings that missing factory-installed bolts caused the 2024 failure.

Burbank, CA - October 07: The Burbank FAA Air Traffic Control Tower is staffed Tuesday with flight operations returning to normal as an Alaska Airlines plane taxis to the arrival gate at Hollywood Burbank Airport Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. Air traffic controllers were scheduled to return to work and full staffing of the control tower at Hollywood Burbank Airport today after travelers encountered delays Monday amid a staffing shortage linked to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Flight operations returned to normal Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
File - A door plug area of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft awaiting inspection is pictured with paneling removed at the airline's facilities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Jan. 10, 2024, in SeaTac, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
FILE - The door plug from the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282's Boeing 737-9 MAX airplane is shown at the National Transportation Safety Board laboratory, in Washington, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Overview

  • Captain Brandon Fisher filed the lawsuit on December 30 in Multnomah County Circuit Court, seeking $10 million from Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems.
  • The suit points to a March 11, 2024 Boeing filing in passenger litigation that said its products were improperly maintained or misused by others, which Fisher argues was aimed at him and his first officer.
  • According to the complaint, Fisher received an FBI letter saying he may have been a victim of criminally negligent conduct and he cites an ongoing Justice Department probe.
  • The NTSB concluded four retention bolts were not reinstalled during factory rework, found inadequate Boeing training and oversight as the probable cause, and noted the crew’s safe return with only minor injuries reported.
  • Boeing and Spirit declined detailed comment as the case proceeds, and prior regulatory actions include an FAA proposal of a $3.1 million penalty related to safety violations.