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Lawsuit claims passengers heard 'whistling' noise on Boeing jet that later suffered door plug blowout

Passengers reported hearing a whistling sound on a previous flight aboard a Boeing jet that would later lose its door plug at 16,000 feet.

SEATTLE — Passengers previously warned employees of Alaska Airlines about a whistling noise they heard aboard a Boeing jet that would later lose its door plug at 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole in the plane, according to an amended lawsuit filed by Attorney Mark Lindquist. 

Lindquist is representing 22 passengers of Alaska Airlines flight 1282. The lawsuit alleges that Boeing and Alaska Airlines were both negligent in the lead-up to the incident, which the passengers say resulted in physical pain, intense fear, distress, anxiety and trauma.

The flight had 171 passengers on board when the door plug ripped away from the fuselage of the jet Jan. 5, leading to a rapid depressurization of the plane cabin.

The new claims allege that passengers heard a whistling sound coming from the vicinity of the door plug aboard the 737 Max 9 jet on a previous flight. Passengers brought the sound to the attention of flight attendants, who notified the pilot or first officer, according to the suit. 

The pilot then checked the cockpit instruments, which were reportedly reading normally. No known further action was taken, Lindquist said in a release. The suit alleges Alaska Airlines was negligent in failing to inspect the aircraft after the whistling sound was reported. 

The whistling sound is just one of a series of indications that all was not well on the Boeing jet before it suffered the in-air blowout. On three previous trips, a pressurization system warning light illuminated. Alaska restricted the jet from flying long distances over water but still allowed it to complete shorter domestic flights. 

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