Criminal investigation of Boeing for incident on Alaska Airlines flight

14-03-24

The opening of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice against Boeing stems from a January incident involving an Alaska Airlines model 737-9 (MAX) aircraft. During the flight, a panel detached, causing alarm among passengers and crew. This event is the third significant incident involving a Boeing aircraft in a two-week span, most notably one in which an engine caught fire and an emergency landing was made.

According to reports in the Wall Street Journal, based on documents and sources familiar with the investigation, contacts have already been made with passengers and crew members present during the affected flight on January 5. 

Boeing, for its part, has expressed that it considers the initiation of this investigation to be normal and has assured that it is cooperating fully with the authorities.

The specific incident took place just seven minutes after the plane took off from Portland, Oregon, forcing an emergency landing. It was discovered that a panel, which should house an additional emergency door, became detached due to four missing essential bolts, which were not reinstalled during maintenance at Boeing's Renton, Washington plant. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.

This incident led the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to order the temporary grounding of all Boeing 737-9 (MAX) aircraft, which resumed operations twenty days later. This comes on top of increased oversight efforts by the FAA towards Boeing, following two fatal accidents in 2018 and 2019 involving the same model of aircraft, marking an unprecedented crisis in the company's history. This latest incident again highlights the safety and oversight challenges facing Boeing, a company that has reported losses for five consecutive years, affected by both the 737-9 (MAX) crisis and the economic impact of the pandemic.