RGH Investigations were recently faced with a unique case: an aircraft accident investigation. Imagine sitting on a plane, and the door suddenly falls apart. If it’s anything like the movies, it is terrifying and chaotic with people falling out of the plane along with carry-on luggage and their pets. This unreal situation is exactly what happened to an airline flight in January 2024. It was heading enroute from one coast to another. Suddenly, around 16,000 feet in the air, the door blew out. This created a rapid decompression. The plane then turned around and immediately flew back to Oregon for an emergency landing. Fortunately, none of the typical movie drama happened to any of the 170+ passengers, all made it out of the situation safely. The incident could have been catastrophic, and for 15 minutes, the passengers didn’t know if they would return to the airport safely. Because of the long lasting traumas to the passengers, lawsuits quickly followed the incident. RGH Investigations were called as part of a legal investigation to determine the cause of the aircraft accident.
Surveying The Accident Scene
RGH Investigations began our aircraft accident investigation with surveillance. We were hired by a law office to find out why the aircraft was able to take off under such conditions. Some passengers on the flight intended to sue for the incident. We thoroughly interviewed passengers, grounds crew and went through maintenance records. We also did background investigations on the pilots. We had access to and went through FAA flight data. We uncovered that prior to takeoff, certain parts of the plane should have been repaired beforehand. There was damage to rivets on parts of the airplane. Bolts were missing on the door, ultimately causing the accident. As a result, there was a recall and examination of Boeing 737 planes.
Truth About the Airline Crisis
Boeing, the maker of the plane, had been under scrutiny before this situation happened. They were confident in the checks prior to the flight taking off. The airline attendant had checked the plane, but there was no warning for them to take the flight out of service. 2024 was a bad year for the airplane maker. A few years after, two 737 planes crashed with a large loss of life, investigators blame design flaws. During the court hearings for the coast to coast case, workers in Boeing admitted to safety of the aircrafts being compromised due to production efficiency. Not only were there multiple flights in similar situations as this airlines flight, but also a fault in a Boeing spacecraft caused some astronauts to get stranded in space. Due to company problems, the quality standard decreased significantly. The cases have not yet been resolved.
How Can We Help?
If you are working on an aircraft accident investigation, or a vehicle accident investigation, RGH Investigations can help. Our modern and innovative technologies and methods towards private investigation are crucial to uncovering the truth in your case. From big cases like Boeing to more local Chicago cases, we can help. Contact us today at 312-768-0376 to get started.
