Lawsuit Over 737 Crash Alleges Autothrottle Problem The lawsuit against Boeing claims that a malfunctioning autothrottle system on an older 737 jet led to the crash. Apr 19th, 2021 Investigators inspect a pieces of Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 retrieved from the Java Sea, Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta, Jan. 21, 2021. AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File SEATTLE (AP) — A lawsuit filed in Seattle against Boeing alleges that a malfunctioning autothrottle system on an older 737 jet led to the crash of the Sriwijaya Air plane into the Java Sea in Indonesia last January, killing all 62 people on board. The Seattle Times reported that the lawsuit, filed Thursday in King County Superior Court on behalf of 16 families of crash victims, cited previous incidents involving malfunctions of the 737 autothrottle system, arguing the history suggests the system should have been redesigned.