A federal judge in Washington State has ruled that Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems cannot face punitive-damages claims in a civil lawsuit brought by a mother and son over the in-flight loss of a door plug from an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9. The decision narrows the plaintiffs’ potential recovery but leaves their claims for compensatory damages intact, with broader litigation over the incident continuing.
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 departed Portland, Oregon, on 5 January 2024, when the aircraft lost the fuselage door plug during climb. The aircraft had been assembled at Boeing’s Renton, Washington, plant, where securing bolts for the plug had not been reinstalled.
The court found that Washington law requires a specific statutory basis for punitive damages and that no applicable basis existed in this case. Such damages are intended to punish particularly serious misconduct rather than compensate plaintiffs for proven losses.
The ruling does not determine whether Boeing or Spirit is liable, nor does it set the value of any compensatory award. The lawsuit forms part of wider civil proceedings concerning the door-plug failure, with a jury trial in Washington State expected in 2027.