Boeing is now under CRIMINAL investigation over plane blowout at 16,000 feet ... trends now
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The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 flight which suffered a near catastrophic blow out at 16,000ft.
A door plug blew off midflight on January 5 with 171 passengers and crew onboard, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.
Investigators have now contacted some passengers informing them they may be the victim of a crime, and interviewed pilots and flight attendants, according to documents seen by The Wall Street Journal.
The investigation may not result in formal charges of wrongdoing, but it will inform a Justice Department review of whether Boeing has met the requirements of the settlements reached after the two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
If they have not met the terms of the settlement, then Boeing could be prosecuted on a count of defrauding the US.
Six Alaska Airlines passengers have sued Boeing after their horror flight where a door plug blew out at 16,000ft, forcing a dramatic emergency landing in Oregon
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun
Alaska Airlines told The Journal: '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.'
The new criminal investigation follows civil probes from the the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA which found 'multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.'
The investigation will examine whether Boeing has met the conditions of the 2021 settlement reached
