Alaska Airlines 737 Max Blowout Passengers Could be Victims of Crime, FBI Says

Passengers of the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 flight last Jan. 5, could be victims of crime, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Several passengers of Flight 1282 have reported receiving letters from the FBI's Seattle division, stating that a case on the flight is "currently under investigation." The Seattle Times first reported the letters.

It can be remembered that a Boeing 737 Max 9 under the Alaska Airlines management suddenly had to make an emergency landing after one of its panels blew out midflight.

Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines Flight Wrapped in More Investigations

No one was reportedly hurt from the incident, although some passengers have reportedly pursued legal accountability from both Alaska Airlines and Boeing.

The letter was reported after the Department of Justice launched its own criminal investigation on Alaska Airlines and Boeing over the incident.

The Federal Aviation Agency also earlier initiated their own probe into 737 Max aircraft amid safety concerns on the planes.

Alaska Airlines already said to be "fully cooperating" with authorities as it does not "believe we are a target of the investigation."

Boeing Under Fire for Safety Concerns

Amid all the investigations on the Jan. 5 incident, Boeing is facing more questions and criticisms from lawmakers and corporations over its safety procedures.

Associated Press earlier reported that major US airlines expressed intentions to meet with Boeing CEO David Calhoun to hear the company's plans to fix its quality-control problems.

The demand came after an FAA audit report noted dozens of production issues for its 737 Max planes.

It did not help that Boeing has already been warned by the government to resolve safety issues in the 737 Max series after similar models were reported to cause air crashes in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 passengers and injuring many more.

The same issues have already been raised in Boeing's 787 Dreamliners, another case that is currently under investigation.