The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the door plug blowout on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 that occurred in January, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Per the report, investigators have contacted some passengers, flight attendants, and pilots who were on board the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines flight that had to make an emergency landing shortly after its departure from Portland International Airport in Oregon.
The investigation will help the DOJ’s review of whether Boeing complied with a $2.5 billion settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of the 737 MAX planes after two fatal crashes in the last six years, according to the WSJ. The two incidents occurred in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019 and resulted in 346 combined deaths.
“In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation,” according to a statement from Alaska Airlines. “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”
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The news comes three days after National Transportation Safety Board officials accused Boeing of being uncooperative in their investigation into the matter. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the aircraft manufacturer has not provided vital requested documents, while the company maintained that any records requested were either provided or do not exist.
The Jan. 5 incident was just one of many troubles Boeing has encountered over the last several years, including several that have occurred since. The most recent came Thursday at San Francisco International Airport, where a Japan-bound United Airlines flight lost a tire during takeoff and had to divert to Los Angeles International Airport.
