The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has notified passengers who were aboard an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 during a mid-air emergency on January 5 that they may be victims of a potential crime, according to letters seen by Reuters.
The letters, dated Tuesday, inform passengers of their possible victim status in a criminal investigation. “This case is currently under investigation by the FBI,” the letters state, adding that “a criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking, and, for several reasons, we cannot tell you about its progress at this time.”
The notification signifies that the Department of Justice’s probe into the 737 MAX 9 incident is progressing. The FBI’s standard procedure involves informing potential victims during criminal investigations, a step that reflects the seriousness of the inquiry.
The mid-air emergency occurred when a door plug panel detached from the side of the aircraft at 16,000 feet, creating a refrigerator-sized hole. Despite the alarming situation, the plane landed safely, and all 171 passengers and six crew members survived. Seven passengers and one flight attendant sustained minor injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that four key bolts appeared to be missing from the aircraft, which had been delivered by Boeing only months earlier. Boeing acknowledged that required documentation detailing the removal of the bolts was never created.
As a result of the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily grounded the 737 MAX 9, restricted Boeing from increasing the production rate of the MAX series, and mandated the development of a comprehensive plan to address “systemic quality-control issues” within 90 days.
Alaska Airlines stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation and does not believe it is the target of the probe. Boeing declined to comment but previously affirmed its commitment to “cooperate fully and transparently with all government investigations.”
The case underscores ongoing concerns about the safety and quality control of the Boeing 737 MAX series. The aircraft had previously faced global scrutiny following two fatal crashes involving the 737 MAX 8 model in 2018 and 2019, leading to a worldwide grounding of the fleet.
The outcome of this investigation may have significant implications for international aviation safety standards and could influence regulatory practices in Asia and beyond, where the 737 MAX is a key component of many airlines’ fleets.
