Alaska Sued Over Hearing Loss Caused by Depressurization

Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

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Passenger sues Alaska Air, alleges hearing loss

By DAN RICHMAN
P-I REPORTER

A Colorado woman filed a federal lawsuit against Seattle-based Alaska Airlines Inc., alleging she suffered permanent hearing loss and trauma when Alaska Airlines Flight 63 suffered mechanical problems and a loss of cabin pressure.

The plaintiff, Gayle Pickard, alleged that between 30 and 60 minutes into the Aug. 15, 2006, flight, the pilot of the 737 from Seattle to Sitka, Alaska, said that he could not pressurize the cabin and that the plane was experiencing other mechanical problems. The flight returned to Sea-Tac Airport, where it made an emergency landing, according to the suit filed Tuesday.

The accident "was not an isolated incident," the suit alleges, citing at least six similar pressurization problems in 2006 on Alaska Airlines flights. [Full Article]

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