United Airlines Passenger Sues Over Near-Death Experience After Windows Cracked During Flight

A United passenger has filed a lawsuit against the airline over an alleged cover up related to a near-death experience he faced last year during a flight from Chicago to London.

The passenger in his suit Wednesday claimed that the incident “nearly resulted in the loss of all life aboard.”

Flight 931 on Oct. 27, 2018, was forced to make an emergency landing in Goose Bay, Canada, only a few hours into the journey after the cockpit windshield shattered. The passengers were stuck inside the aircraft for eight hours before a replacement plane was arranged for them.

The airline blamed the window cracking on a bird strike. However, passenger Theodore Liaw claimed the airline was trying to cover up the real story.

Liaw said in the suit that he allegedly discovered from the pilots flying the plane that it wasn’t a bird strike that caused the window to crack because “there’s nothing alive at 40,000 feet.” They believe the incident was a result of a United mechanic over-torqueing the bolts of the cockpit window, according to court documents.

“United has been lying to everyone about what happened,” the suit claims. “Nothing struck Flight 931 in the air. There was no bad weather. Under such ordinary flight conditions, cockpit windows for a Boeing 767-300 do not break of their own accord.”

The suit also claimed that had the last layer of the windshield broken before landing, “both pilots would have likely been sucked out of the plane and Flight 931’s passengers would have been doomed.”

Liaw also said the pilots “grimly mentioned that everyone came close to dying many times over,” according to the document.

Following the incident, United gave all passengers on board the plane a $500 voucher in exchange for release of all liability.

Liam, who did not accept the voucher, is now seeking fair compensation” for his bodily injury and severe emotional distress as a result of the “brush with death.” He also wants United to be held accountable for the horrific incident. He claims that the incident led to a fear of flying which could put his “entire career in jeopardy.”

In a statement to Fox News, United said: “At United, safety is our top priority and we diverted the aircraft due to an issue with the cockpit window. The aircraft landed safely, and we are continuing to investigate this matter. Due to the pending litigation, we’re unable to comment further.”

This is not the only lawsuit that came against United recently. Last week, the airline was being sued for failing to protect a teenage girl who was groped on a flight from Seattle to Newark in July 2017. The lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court in Washington State blames the airline for not taking adequate action against a 30-year-old physician who admitted to have assaulted a 16-year-old girl.

"The conduct of United in this case is unconscionable from start to finish," Samuel Daheim, the attorney representing the victim and her mother, said.