A criminal investigation has been opened by prosecutors in the United States into the mid-flight blowout of a Boeing 737 MAX operated by Alaska Airlines on January 5. The Department of Justice has interviewed witnesses, including aircrew, as part of the probe. Alaska Airlines has stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation, although it does not believe it is a target.
This investigation comes as Boeing is already under heightened scrutiny due to a series of safety incidents, including two fatal crashes involving the Boeing 737 MAX in 2018 and 2019. The DOJ’s probe will help assess whether Boeing has complied with the terms of its $2.5 billion settlement to avoid prosecution related to those crashes.
In a separate development, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified “non-compliance issues” in Boeing’s manufacturing process following an audit of the company. Boeing has 90 days to come up with a plan to address these issues, which include concerns about safety culture and record-keeping.
Boeing has stated that it was unable to locate records for work done on the door panel that fell off the Alaska Airlines plane. The company believes that no records were created, despite rules requiring documentation. Boeing’s response to these investigations and the steps it takes to address safety and compliance concerns will be closely monitored in the coming months.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com