The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into the fuselage panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet.
The feds have started to contact passengers and crew members of the horrifying Jan. 5 flight, which made an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., after the door plug of the Boeing 737 Max 9 blew off at 16,000 feet in the air, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing documents and people familiar with the matter.
“In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation. We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation,” Alaska Airlines told the outlet.
The Justice Department is seeking to determine whether Boeing complied with a $2.5 billion settlement in 2021 following a federal investigation into fatal flights involving Boeing Max 737 planes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed 346 souls.
If the DOJ finds Boeing violated the terms of its 2021 settlement, the aircraft manufacturing giant could be prosecuted for defrauding the US, the outlet reported.
The government alternatively could extend the company’s three-year probation requiring Boeing to keep the DOJ updated on its compliance improvements.
The National Transportation Safety Board found the fuselage panel that blew off the Alaska Airlines jet shortly after takeoff had been missing four key bolts
The Federal Aviation Administration quickly grounded 171 Max 9 jets for inspection, and the plane resumed service late January.
Last month, a trio of passengers aboard the flight slapped Boeing and Alaska Airlines with a $1 billion lawsuit, alleging the companies ignored warning signs with the plane’s hazardous conditions and that the flight should have never taken off.
