Honeymoon Doctors Sue Boeing Over Exploding Boeing 737 Airplane Engine On Southwest Flight 1380

NEW YORK - June 4, 2019 - PRLog -- Jonathan W. Johnson, LLC filed an amended lawsuit in New York to add two married physicians who were returning from their honeymoon and were onboard Southwest Airlines flight 1380 on April 17, 2018.  The aircraft was a Boeing 737 that had just departed New York-LaGuardia Airport in route to Dallas, and was about twenty minutes into the flight when tragedy struck—one of the two engines suddenly exploded in flight.  The case number in New York Supreme Court is 155786/2018.

Tyler and Alexis Albin had spent their honeymoon in New York City following their wedding in Monroe Louisiana.  Both were medical school graduates and preparing to begin their careers as physicians.  Their honeymoon abruptly ended when the Boeing 737 engine exploded.  Suddenly and unexpectedly the couple experienced the panic and horror that shocked all 144 passengers when the exploding engine parts became dangerous projectiles that damaged the aircraft's fuselage and shattered a passenger window, which caused explosive decompression inside the cabin of the aircraft and sent debris flying throughout the cabin.

The newlywed couple were seated across the aisle only two rows away from the shattered window, and they watched in horror as the passenger nearest the open window was sucked into the opening and trapped there in helpless agony.  It was a horrible nightmare for everyone onboard—they felt that they were all in an airplane about to crash.  The couple's first instinct was to hug each other and pray. They texted "I love you" to family and friends believing this was their last opportunity to say goodbye.

Ultimately, the pilot, utilizing the sole remaining engine, managed to bring the aircraft under control and make an emergency landing in Philadelphia.  Some of the passengers were able to extricate the unconscious and critically injured passenger who had been sucked into the window. After the plane touched down Tyler and others began to administer CPR and did everything they could to keep her alive, until the medics arrived.  Thereafter, to his great dismay, he realized their efforts were in vain as his hands and clothes were covered in blood from the dead passenger.  The young couple's honeymoon was turned into a traumatic nightmare that has left indelible scars from the Boeing 737 Flight 1380 ordeal.

The lawsuit seeks to hold Boeing accountable by asserting "Boeing's willful, wanton and reckless disregard for the safety of passengers aboard its aircraft.  Boeing's pattern of reckless conduct is manifested by other horribly tragic crashes, the most recent being Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that crashed in Ethiopia on March 10, 2019 and took the lives of 157 people; the Lion Air Flight 610 that crashed in the sea off the coast of Indonesia on October 29, 2018 and killed 189 people; and Global Air Flight 972 that crashed in Mexico on May 18, 2018 with 112 fatalities."  Additionally, the lawsuit is asserting that Boeing had knowledge that this systemic failure in safety could result in significant loss of life and enormous suffering by survivors.  The lawsuit further alleges that the engine of the Boeing 737 and its protective cowling should have been designed with material and structural integrity to contain any shrapnel from a failed engine component, and prevent it from penetrating the passenger cabin.  For those reasons, the lawsuit seeks substantial punitive damages from Boeing for what was a preventable incident.

The lawsuit also asserts that Southwest Airlines failed to properly maintain and inspect the aircraft's engines, and asserts liability against the companies that manufactured the engines.  Ongoing investigations by the NTSB have revealed that an engine fan blade failed and that there was evidence of metal fatigue where the blade broke off. The shrapnel penetrated the passenger cabin causing explosive decompression inside the aircraft.   Airlines are common carriers and generally owe the "highest duty of care" to fare paying passengers.

About The Law Firm

Jonathan W. Johnson is an attorney located in Atlanta, Georgia who has been involved in the litigation of aviation accident cases for 25 years.  He may be reached at by phone at (404) 298-0795 or by email at jwj@johnson-lawyer.com.  His website is www.jonathanjohnsonatlantalawyer.com.