Alaska Airlines pilot who safely landed plane after panel blew out says Boeing unfairly blamed him

Source: AP

By JOSH FUNK
Updated 7:32 PM CST, January 6, 2026

The Alaska Airlines pilot who has been universally praised as a hero for safely landing a jet after a door plug panel flew off shortly after takeoff is suing Boeing because he believes the plane maker wrongly tried to blame him and the rest of the crew.

Captain Brandon Fisher was commended by the heads of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and even Boeing executives for helping ensure none of the 177 people aboard flight 1282 were killed when the blowout happened in January 2024.

But Fisher’s lawyers say Boeing’s attempts to deflect liability in past lawsuits despite what the NTSB investigation found led to the pilot being sued by some passengers and caused him great distress. Still, experts say it’s unusual for a pilot to sue like this in an incident where he wasn’t seriously hurt or killed. Four flight attendants previously sued Boeing over the incident last summer.

Fisher’s lawsuit says Boeing suggested it wasn’t responsible because the plane was “improperly maintained or misused” by others.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/boeing-door-plug-lawsuit-alaska-airlines-pilot-e832d42c39f9c60b620b08cc572d4eed