The Boeing 737 Max incident last January is now being probed for possible criminal charges, Alaska Airlines has confirmed to Reuters.
The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly sent out investigators to contact the passengers, pilots and flight attendants of Flight 1282 three months after its fuselage panel blew out midflight.
Alaska Airlines said it is "fully cooperating" with the DOJ, believing it is not the target of the investigation.
It can be noted that the plane had to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, last Jan. 5.
Although no one was reportedly hurt from the incident, several passengers pursued lawsuits against the airlines and Boeing over supposed "excessive" defects in the plane.
Earlier investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board cited four missing key bolts in the fuselage as the cause of the blowout. Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max resumed operations on Jan. 26.
U.S. Agencies Express Concern on Boeing's 'Safety Culture'
The DOJ probe on the Boeing aircraft is only the latest report of the company being investigated over safety concerns related to the January incident.
Last Monday, the Federal Aviation Agency scrutinized Boeing for "non-compliance issues" with its manufacturing process control, as well as handling and storage of critical aircraft parts.
The FAA ordered the company to resolve the issues and report within 90 days.
This is the second FAA probe on Boeing planes this year. The agency earlier warned the company of serious problems with its safety culture ahead of the fuselage blowout.
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Boeing at Risk of Re-Opening Flight Safety Lawsuit
The DOJ has also previously investigated Boeing 737 Max aircraft following a fatal crash in 2018 and 2019. Over 300 people were killed in the crashes.
Boeing settled the subsequent lawsuit in 2021 by agreeing to pay $2.5 billion and admitting two former employees misled officials with their investigations.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the lawsuit is at risk of being opened again if the DOJ identified any violations on Boeing's part of the 2021 agreement.
