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The passengers who were on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 which suffered a mid-air emergency on January 5 have been told by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that they may be victims of a crime.
According to nws agency Reuters, official letters say that the passengers were “a possible victim of a crime. This case is currently under investigation by the FBI…A criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking, and, for several reasons, we cannot tell you about its progress at this time.”
After relatives of 346 people who were killed in two Boeing Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 said that their legal rights have been violated, the US Justice Department in 2022 updated its guidelines for notifying victims of potential crimes.
In 2021, the relatives said that their rights were violated when the department deferred a prosecution deal with Boeing without notifying them.
The US Justice Department later apologized for not meeting with relatives of the crash victims before the announcement of the deal. It had capped a 21-month investigation into the design and development of the 737 MAX 8.
The report also stated that Alaska Airlines affirmed it was fully cooperating with the investigation. It added that the airlines did not believe it was the target of the probe.
What was the Alaska Airlines incident?
In early January, a door plug panel in one of the Boeing 737 Max 9 tore off from the side at 16,000 feet. It left a refrigerator-sized, rectangular hole in the aircraft.
Seven passengers and one attendant suffered minor injuries, but the plane landed safely with all 171 passengers and six crew on board.
Later, after the investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board said that four key bolts appeared to be missing from the plane.
Boeing said it believed the required documents detailing the removal of the bolts were never created.
After the incident, the FAA grounded the MAX 9 for several weeks. It also barred Boeing from increasing the production rate of Max.
The agency also ordered Boeing to develop a plan to address “systemic quality-control issues” within 90 days.
(With agency inputs)
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Published: 23 Mar 2024, 08:24 PM IST
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