‘I sat inches away from US plane’s mid-air blowout’

Cuong Tran said his seat belt saved him as his phone, socks and shoes were ripped off by an uncontrolled decompression 16,000ft above Portland. He is among seven passengers to have filed a lawsuit against Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems. The companies declined to comment. Four critical bolts were missing from the Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft.

None of the 177 passengers and crew on-board were killed. Mr Tran, who was sat next to his friend one row behind the section which blew out, suffered injuries including a laceration to his leg. Mr Tran said the decompression lasted around 10 or 20 seconds. He described looking around at other passengers who could not believe what was happening.

He said: “It was probably the first time in my life I had a feeling of no control over everything. I was in disbelief over the whole situation,#34; The plane was able to make its emergency landing back to Portland International Airport and passengers were seen to by emergency services. Mr Tran said: “That was the scariest moment - the waiting. My body is recovering, but there is a big scar in my leg” Several passengers are suing Alaska Airlines, Boeing and manufacturer Spirit Aerosystems.

The plaintiffs are seeking punitive, compensatory and general damages, although the lawsuit does not specify an amount. Attorney Timothy A Loranger said the litigation process could take a couple of years as there are a lot of people involved. Alaska Airlines initially grounded its 737 MAX 9 fleet of 65 aircraft. 34;It is just terrifying.

This is separate to another set of passengers who are suing Alaska Airlines and Boeing for $1bn - claiming negligence. And this is just the latest in a long line of lawsuits against the airline. Boeing has been under heavy regulatory scrutiny with probes into the company#39;s safety and quality standards in its production process. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said Boeing has been unable to produce key information about work performed on the Alaska Airlines plane before the mid-air scare.