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Updates to add details from Friday’s Seattle Times report
The US Department of Justice has launched an investigation into an Alaska Airlines (NYSE:ALK) emergency in which a piece of the fuselage of a Boeing 737 MAX exploded in mid-air earlier this year, THE Wall Street Journal he reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Federal investigators have already contacted some passengers and crew on the ill-fated flight from Ontario, California, to Portland International Airport on January 5, according to documents and people.
The agency interviewed pilots and flight attendants, The newspaper reported. “In an event like this, it is normal for the Department of Justice to conduct an investigation. Alaska Airlines (ALK) said, adding, “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”
The Justice Department has begun notifying passengers on the Alaska Flight (ALK) who are potential crime victims in the case.
The investigation will inform the DoJ’s review of whether Boeing (NYSE:BA) fulfilled an earlier agreement that resolved a federal investigation into two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.
If the findings indicate that the plane maker violated the agreement, it could face prosecution on the original charge of fraud against the United States or see an extension of a three-year probationary period during which it is required to update the government on its compliance progress. .
The newspaper one the report comes later THE Seattle Times Last Friday it was reported that Boeing (BA) executives said in a letter to US Senator Maria Cantwell that they had been unable to find any documentation relating to the work carried out on the blown door plug on the Alaska Airlines (ALK) flight.
Boeing (BA) did not immediately respond to Seeking Alpha’s request for comment.