Two Boeing flight attendants have sued the airline , claiming their ear drums were damaged by exploding smoke detectors . Their Houston , Texas , federal court case claims an “ ear - splitting ringing ” started on a Boeing 737 flight despite there being neither smoke nor fire , and that their ear drums burst and bled as a result , with consequent permanent hearing loss . The attendants say the aircraft operator was liable for not designing systems that used safe decibel levels and for installing detectors that did not respond properly . Damages have not been reported .
Two Boeing flight attendants have sued the company, claiming their ear drums were damaged by malfunctioning smoke detectors. Their Houston, Texas, federal court case claims an “ear-splitting ringing” started on a Boeing 737 flight despite there being neither smoke nor fire, and that their ear drums burst and bled as a result, with consequent permanent hearing loss. The attendants say the aircraft manufacturer was liable for not designing detectors that used safe decibel levels and for installing detectors that did not respond properly. Damages have not been specified.