Family Of Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 Passenger Sues Boeing To King County Court

JAKARTA - The families of victims of the Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 flight crash on the Jakarta-Pontianak route through Herrmann Law Group are suing The Boeing Company to the King County Superior Court in Washington, USA.

"The lawsuit found Boeing guilty. The lawsuit accuses Boeing of failing to warn airlines and other users about defects in automatic throttle and the dangers of parking planes for several months," Herrmann Law Group lead attorney Mark Lindquist was quoted as saying Thursday, May 20.

He said as an aircraft manufacturer, Boeing has an ongoing obligation to warn and instruct airlines about known or necessary hazards to manufacturers related to such aircraft.

"This is a security issue for the whole world," Mark Lindquist said.

On May 14, 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an airworthiness notification for Boeing 737-300, 400, and 500 series based on information studied in the sriwijaya air flight SJ 182 crash investigation.

The notice states there are unsafe conditions on board. The FAA found that the failure of the syncho flap cable may not be detected by the computer's auto-throttle. The defect could result in a loss of control of the aircraft.

A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) showed an asymmetrical thrust from the engine before SJ 182 swooped fatally. Specifically, the left throttle is reduced while the right throttle is not.

While the FAA stated it was less likely that the accident occurred due to a direct result of the syncho cable failure. Initial reports of KNKT showed that asymmetric thrust caused the plane to roll over and swoop. The plane swooped more than 3,000 meters in less than a minute.

Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 was parked for nine months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2020, the FAA warns airlines and aircraft manufacturers parking planes for more than seven days could lead to corrosion and other related problems.

Herrmann Law Group represents 50 families of victims in Indonesia and Ethiopia in two recent Boeing 737 Max 8 accidents. Almost all of these cases were successfully resolved with Boeing.