'Di wind carry my shoes go as I hang on for dear life' - Passenger of plane wey im door comot for air

One Californian man don describe how im "hold on for dear life" as im sidon for one Alaska Airlines flight just few inches from one big hole wey appear as one door wey dem no dey use fly comot as dem dey for air.

Cuong Tran tell BBC say na im seat belt save am as very heavy wind collect im phone, socks and shoes sake of uncontrolled decompression 16,000ft above Portland.

Im dey among seven of di passengers wey carry Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems go court.

Di companies no gree give any comment.

Foto dem wey dem share online - and later by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) – show one big hole for di side of di Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft, wit oxygen masks wey dey dangle from di ceiling on 5 January.

One first investigation wey US regulators do find out say four critical bolts – wey suppose hold di so-called door plug for one place – bin dey miss from di flight wey bin dey go Ontario, California.

None of di 177 passengers and crew for di flight die but Oga Tran, wey bin sidon next to im friend one row behind di section wey blow out, wunjure including one big tear ontop im leg.

Speaking to BBC, Tran wey be 40 years old tok say e happun just afta dem take-off, wen im dey usually ready to doze off.

Tran say di decompression bin last around 10 or 20 seconds and im describe say im look around at oda passengers wey no believe wetin bin dey happun.

"Na like di first time for my life wey I bin feel like I no get control ova evritin. I bin no believe di whole situation," Tran tok.

"Dat feeling of no control dey veri scary. Di pressure bin dey so strong and I bin dey hang on for dear life. E kuku suck my two shoes out - I bin wear my shoe really tight too.

"My phone wey bin dey my hand disappear."

Di plane bin dey able to do emergency landing back to Portland International Airport and dem escort passengers go emergency services.

Tran add: "Dem say e take 30 minutes, but e bin feel like a long pass like dat.

"I no get phone so I no get idea di time, so naso I just sidon dia dey look di whole di whole time, as I dey hope make e no worse pass like dat.

"Na dat moment fear me pass – di waiting. My bodi dey recova, but e get one big scar for my leg. I no sabi weda e go go anytime."

"Di captain say we bin just pass 10,000 feet. Den di hole just blow out on us and I remember as my bodi dey try fly go up. Den my whole lower body be like one violent wind dey suck am down."

Oga Tran na one of several passengers wey carry Alaska Airlines, Boeing and manufacturer Spirit Aerosystems go court, claiming say di event give dem physical injuries and "serious emotional distress, fear, and anxiety".

Dem dey find punishment, compensation and general damages, although dem no give any amount.

Spirit Aerosystems, Boeing and Alaska Airlines say dem no go say anytin on top mata wey dey court.

Lawyer Timothy A Loranger tell BBC di court case fit take "some years" as pipo wey dey involve plenty.

"Im [Oga Tran] leg bin almost suck comot from di airplane if no be for im seatbelt," Loranger tok. "E dey scary no be small."

Dem carry dis court case go King County Superior Court, Washington, and e dey separate from anoda set of passengers wey dey sue Alaska Airlines and Boeing for $1bn – dem claim negligence.

Alaska Airlines initially bin no dey fly any of im 65 fleet of 737 MAX 9.

Dis later follow one Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order for all airlines to stop using di Boeing model - approximately 171 worldwide.

Aviation giant Boeing don dey under heavy regulatory investigate for some time now on di company safety and quality standards for im production process.

On Wednesday, NTSB say e go do two days investigative hearing on di incident for beginning of August.

But NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy say Boeing bin no fit produce key information about work wey dem do on di Alaska Airlines plane before di mid-air kasala.

For one letter to leaders of di Senate, Homendy say di door plug wey bin fail dem bin don first open am do repair work for September last year.

Di work happun for Boeing Renton, Washington, facility before delivery to Alaska Airlines on 31 October 2023.

"To date, we still no know who perform di work to open, reinstall, and close di door plug on di accident aircraft," Homendy tok.

"Dis record wey no dey go complicate di NTSB investigation moving forward."