“I am writing to you because we have identified you as a possible victim of a crime,” an office representative from the Seattle office said in a letter that passengers on the flight received this week. “This matter is currently under investigation by the FBI.”
Mark Lindquist, an attorney representing some passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight in a lawsuit against Boeing, shared the office’s letter with The Associated Press. The notification provided recipients with an email address, phone number, case number, and personal identification number so they could share questions and concerns. Lindquist said he and his clients welcome the Justice Department’s investigation.
On January 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max was flying at 15,000 feet over Oregon when a door panel came off, leaving a gaping hole in the side. The rapid loss of cabin pressure caused oxygen masks to fall from the ceiling and the suction of air gushing from the vent impacted people inside the plane.
The pilots were able to land safely in Portland, Oregon, and none of the 171 passengers and six crew members were seriously injured. Investigators said four bolts holding the panel in place were missing after the plane underwent a technical inspection at Boeing’s Renton plant in Washington state.
Published reports from government officials say the U.S. Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation to determine whether the incident violated terms of the 2021 deal. It allowed Boeing to avoid prosecution for allegedly misleading regulators who certified the entry into service of the 737 Max airplane The FBI letter does not mention Boeing, which declined to comment Friday. The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Justice are conducting separate investigations into Boeing.
