Law professor sues Boeing, alleging he breathed in toxic fumes on a Delta flight
(CBS NEWS) – According to CBS, a law professor who flew on a Boeing 737 aircraft operated by Delta Air Lines last year is suing the airplane manufacturer, alleging he suffered serious health issues after being exposed to toxic fumes that seeped into the plane’s cabin.
The plaintiff, Philadelphia resident Jonathan Harris, alleges in the suit that the aircraft cabin air became contaminated during an August 2024 flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles, leading to his breathing in a mix of dangerous chemicals.
Fumes or smoke entering aircraft cabins is a known problem in aviation. That can occur when the fresh air from a plane’s engines is filtered through the air conditioner employed to supply air to passengers. A faulty engine seal can cause oil and other potentially toxic particles to be released in the cabin.
Such events take place more than three times a day, according to a recent CBS News review of Federal Aviation Administration incident reports.
Boeing’s 787 aircraft is the only commercial jetliner that does not draw air through the aircraft’s engine. All other commercial jets have an air supply system that can expose cabins to contamination with heated jet engine oil, hydraulic fluid, and jet fuel, according to Harris’s suit.
When Harris’s Delta landed in California, passengers sat on the runway for about 45 minutes before disembarking, according to the lawsuit. During this time, the cabin was filled with fumes that Harris described as smelling like “dirty socks.”
“As a result of being exposed to this contaminated air event, plaintiff became nauseous and vomited into a plastic bag while still seated on the subject aircraft,” the suit alleges. “Another passenger also vomited into a bag provided by a flight attendant. At one point, the plaintiff remembers the captain making an announcement over the intercom apologizing for the smell.”
Harris has since developed symptoms as a result of inhaling the contaminated cabin air, his lawsuit alleges. That lead to a range of health problems, including dizziness, confusion, nausea, muscle pain, vertigo, memory loss and other conditions, according to the complaint. Harris also alleges he suffered mental anguish, depression and anxiety, along with lost wages.
Harris, an associate law professor at Temple University, is suing Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, for $40 million, plus attorneys’ fees. The suit was filed in Arlington County, Virginia, circuit court.
Boeing didn’t respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, while Delta declined to comment.
In September, Delta said it would replace auxiliary power units, a type of engine, on 300 of its Airbus A320 aircraft to address toxic fume incidents.
