The Department of Justice launched an official criminal investigation into Boeing after a door plug on a Boeing plane flew off mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines flight.
What happened to the Boeing plane on the Alaska Airlines flight?
The blowout took place seven minutes into the Boeing 737 Max 9 jet flight and left a gaping hole, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing after taking off from Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 5.
“In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation,” Alaska Airlines said in a prepared statement, per The Associated Press. “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”
Boeing declined commenting on the case.
There were no serious injuries in the incident, but The New York Times reported that “it could have been catastrophic had the panel blown out minutes later, at a higher altitude.”
DOJ Boeing criminal investigation
According to The Washington Post, “Federal prosecutors have interviewed several witnesses in connection with the criminal investigation, including the pilots and aircrew of the Alaska flight.”
The criminal investigation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which explained the investigation would be done in tandem with a Department of Justice review of Boeing’s compliance following a previous settlement that ended in two fatal crashes. In that settlement, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion in 2021.
Boeing has acknowledged that records for the work on the door panel still have not been found.
“We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,” Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen. Maria Cantwell on Friday, per AP.