US Justice Department starts criminal investigation into Alaska Airlines window blowout case

The United States Department of Justice has started a criminal investigation into the Boeing jet door blowout case which had created a gaping hole on the Alaska Airlines aeroplane in January, reported the Wall Street Journal on Saturday (Mar 9).

The newspaper, citing documents, said that some passengers and crew members, which included pilots and flight attendants who had boarded the January 5flight, were contacted by the investigators.

Alaska Airlines'planedoor blew out seven minutes after it took off from Portland, Oregon which forced the pilots to make an emergency landing.

Since the incident, Boeing has remained under scrutiny. In an official statement, Alaska Airlines said, “In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation. “We are fully co-operating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”

DOJ to look into Boeing's previous settlement

According to the Wall Street Journal, the investigation will also assist the Department in reviewing whether Boeing complied with an earlier settlement which resolved a federal investigation of its 737 Max aircraft's safety after two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Boeing had agreed to make a payment of $2.5 billion, which included a $244 million fine, in 2021 to settle the investigation into the crashes of flights which were operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines.

Two employees were also blamed by the company for deceiving regulators regarding flaws in the flight-control system.

In a letter to Congress, Boeing also acknowledged that it is not able to find records for work done on Alaska Airlines plane's door panel.

“We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,” Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, said in a letter to Sen. Maria Cantwell.

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The company claimed its “working hypothesis” was, the records of removal and reinstallation of the panel on the 737 MAX final assembly line in Washington were never created, even though the systems of Boeing required it.

After the letter was sent, a contentious Senate committee hearing was held in which Boeing as well as the National Transportation Safety Board argued over whether there has been co-operation from the company in the investigation.

Jennifer Homendy, chairman of the safety board, testified for two months that Boeing repeatedly did not agree to identify employees who had worked on door panels on Boeing 737s and no documentation was provided by them regarding the repair job which included removing and reinstalling the door panel.

“It’s absurd that two months later we don’t have that,” said Homendy. “Without that information, that raises concerns about quality assurance, quality management, safety management systems” at Boeing, he said.

(With inputs from agencies)