7 Alaska Airlines passengers sue over mid-air blowout, claiming "serious emotional distress"

A passenger on the Alaska Airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing after a door plug blew off mid-flight claims he was only saved from being sucked out of the hole by his seatbelt. 

The passenger, Cuong Tran, was sitting in row 27, immediately behind the door plug that gave way minutes after the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane departed Portland International Airport on January 5, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in King County Superior Court.

Tran, as well as six additional passengers on the flight, are suing Alaska Airlines, Boeing and door plug manufacturer Spirit Aerosystems, claiming the event left them with physical injuries and "serious emotional distress, fear, and anxiety." The claims follow an earlier lawsuit from three other passengers on the same flight, who are suing Boeing and the airline for $1 billion, claiming negligence caused the incident.