Cuong Tran, 40, said he intended to take a nap on the January 5 flight with a friend when the accident happened shortly after takeoff, according to the New York Post.
"The captain said we had passed 3,000m. But then the void blew us away. I remember my body being lifted up and then my entire lower body being sucked down by the strong wind," he said.
"It was the first time in my life that I felt like I had no control over anything. I couldn't believe the whole situation," he said, describing the "feeling of not being in control" as "so scary".
Cuong Tran sat next to the plane door that exploded in mid-air.
"The suction was so strong that I tried to survive," he recalled, adding that both of his shoes were eventually sucked out despite being quite tight, and his phone also disappeared.
The entire terrifying ordeal lasted about half an hour before the plane made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport, but Cuong said it felt like much longer.
"I didn't have my phone so I didn't know what time it was so I just sat there staring at the missing window the whole time and hoping it wouldn't get any more damaged. That was the scariest moment of waiting," he said.
When the plane returned safely to Portland airport, Cuong and six other passengers and a flight attendant were treated for their injuries.
He is recovering with a large wound on his leg that may leave a scar.
Many large and small wounds on Cuong Tran's legs and his seat on the plane.
Cuong is among several passengers suing Alaska Airlines, Boeing and manufacturer Spirit Aerosystems over injuries they suffered on the nightmare flight.
They claim in a lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court in Washington state that the accident caused them "severe distress, fear and anxiety."
The lawsuit seeks compensatory, punitive and general damages for alleged negligence, product defect liability and failure to protect passengers from harm.
“Our clients — and potentially every passenger on that flight — suffered unnecessary injury because Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems and Alaska Airlines failed to ensure the aircraft was in a safe and airworthy condition,” said attorney Timothy Loranger.
"Cuong Tran's legs were almost sucked out of the plane. It was terrifying," he added.
Cuong Tran in the photo before the accident
On January 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 took off from Portland and was en route to Ontario, California, when the fuselage suddenly exploded, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing. All 171 passengers and 6 crew members were safe.
The blown-off side door was later found in the yard of a Portland teacher named Bob. The door was lime green on one side and white on the other, measuring 66cm x 121cm and weighing 28.5kg. Finding the door is expected to help investigators figure out what caused the plane to lose pressure so quickly.
Since then, Boeing has encountered serious incidents in many places around the world, causing the American aviation giant to suffer.
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