The four flight attendants on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 are suing Boeing, claiming they suffered physical and psychological injuries after a panel flew off the 737 Max 9 in January 2024.

Boeing and Alaska each face several lawsuits from passengers following the panel blowout, but this is the first from crew members working on board the tumultuous flight.

The lawsuits filed Tuesday in Seattle’s King County Superior Court don’t detail the crew members’ experiences during Flight 1282 but said all four sustained physical and mental injuries, emotional distress and other financial costs related to the incident.

After a full investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in June the blowout was the result of shortcomings at Boeing and the agency tasked with its oversight, the Federal Aviation Administration.

Boeing did not properly train its employees and did not have a system in place to properly catch human errors, the NTSB said. And the FAA failed to ensure the aerospace manufacturer addressed “repetitive and systemic” issues.

“This event is something that never should have happened,” flight attendant Christine Vasconcellos said in a statement. “I’m committed to seeking justice, accountability and making the sky a safe place.”

Michelle Hughes, another one of the crew members, said in a statement the incident “profoundly impaired” her personal and professional life and created “many challenges to return to my dream job that I had proudly made my career.”

The lawsuits accuse Boeing of product liability for delivering a plane that was unsafe to operate and negligence in its manufacturing practices.

Boeing, the lawsuit alleges, “knew that its conduct was likely to result in a … passenger unknowingly flying on unworthy aircraft.”

Boeing declined to comment on the lawsuits.

Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 took off from Portland, Ore., on Jan. 5, 2024, and was headed toward Ontario, Calif., when the panel flew off at 16,000 feet in the air. The plane landed safely back in Portland, with seven passengers and one flight attendant reporting minor injuries immediately after the incident.

The panel is known as a door plug because it fills a spot in the 737 Max that some airlines use as an additional emergency exit.

Accident investigators determined that, when building the plane in Boeing’s Renton factory, Boeing mechanics removed the door plug for repairs and later reinstalled the panel without the four bolts meant to hold it in place. That meant the panel slowly moved up and out until it flew off during the Alaska Airlines flight.

The panel blowout left a gaping hole in the side of the plane, pulling headrests, cellphones and T-shirts into the sky.

The cabin rapidly depressurized, oxygen masks fell from the ceiling and the cockpit door flew open, surprising the pilots and flight attendants and making it difficult for crew members to communicate.

Members of the crew told investigators from the NTSB they were not sure if passengers had been seated next to the door plug and feared they had lost people up until they landed safely.

Flight attendants also said they had trouble with some techniques meant to provide oxygen to crew members while they moved through the cabin to assist passengers.

“Each of the four flight attendants acted courageously, following their training and putting their passengers’ safety first while fearing for their lives,” attorney Tracy Brammeier, who is representing the crew members, said in a statement. “They deserve to be wholly compensated for this life-altering traumatic experience.”

The four crew members, who live in Washington, California and Oregon, each separately filed lawsuits against Boeing. They’re seeking compensation for past and future economic damages.

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