The frightening ordeal aboard Flight 1282 from Portland to Ontario has been life-changing for Amanda Strickland and her boyfriend, Kyle Rinker. They say they enjoyed traveling but haven't been on an airplane since the incident occurred.
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"I don't think there's been a day that's gone by that we haven't thought about it," said Strickland, talking about the terrifying Alaska Airlines flight that nearly turned disastrous.
A door plug blew off the Boeing 737 MAX 9 shortly after taking off from Portland, Oregon, causing a violent cabin decompression and leaving a gaping hole in the aircraft.
Shoes, cell phones and other personal items were sucked from the plane. A 16-year-old boy's shirt was even torn from his body.
Strickland and her boyfriend feared the worst.
"I know that some people were able to text loved ones and say what was happening. We couldn't even do that we just had to hold on to each other," said Strickland.
"I just made sure I was holding on to the seat...making sure our seatbelts were...double checking them," said Rinker.
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They say the sound of the wind was so loud they couldn't hear the screams of other passengers. The flight had been heading to Ontario, California where the couple planned to visit Strickland's family.
Strickland, Rinker and a third passenger, Kevin Kwok, have filed a lawsuit against Boeing and Alaska Airlines for $1 billion, claiming the incident was caused by negligence.
The lawsuit says all three suffered severe emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress.
"Where we live we can hear planes and helicopters flying over us and we kinda get that...oh wow, hear that same sound," Rinker said.
The NTSB says that four crucial bolts designed to hold the door plug in place were removed and never put back on.
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"It was horrible. Our lives are gonna be forever changed now. Like I said, we don't know if we'll ever be able to get on a plane again," said Strickland.
"Now we have to change our lives around this fear of flying," said Rinker.
Boeing also faces another class action lawsuit brought by passengers on the flight.