David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation told passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines Boeing (NYSE:) 737 MAX 9 that crashed in midair on Jan. 5 that they may be victims of a crime, letters show. seen by Reuters.
The letters, a procedural step in some Justice Department criminal investigations, are a sign that the investigation into the MAX 9 emergency is moving forward.
The letters, dated Tuesday, said the FBI had identified the passengers “as possible victims of crime. The FBI is currently investigating this case. …A criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking, and for several reasons we are unable to update you on its progress at this time.”
The letters were previously reported by the Seattle Times.
An FBI spokesman in Seattle declined to comment, citing Justice Department policy that it “neither confirms nor denies the existence of an investigation.”
In 2022, the Justice Department updated its guidelines for notifying victims of potential crimes after relatives of some of the 346 people killed in two Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 said their legal rights were violated when the department January 2021 deferred prosecution. deal with Boeing without notifying them.
The department also apologized for not meeting with relatives of crash victims before announcing the deal, which concluded a 21-month investigation into the design and development of the 737 MAX 8.
Boeing declined to comment Friday but said it said this month it will continue to cooperate fully and transparently with all government investigations.
Alaska Airlines said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and does not consider itself a target of the investigation.
During a mid-air emergency, a door panel tore off the side of a MAX 9 at 16,000 feet, leaving a rectangular hole the size of a refrigerator in the plane. The plane landed safely with all 171 passengers and six crew members on board. Seven passengers and one flight attendant received minor injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the plane, delivered by Boeing several months earlier, was missing four key bolts. Boeing said it believed the necessary paperwork detailing the removal of the bolts was never completed.
Following the incident, the FAA suspended production of the MAX 9 for several weeks, prohibited Boeing from increasing the rate of MAX production and ordered the company to develop a comprehensive plan to address “systemic quality control issues” within 90 days.