SEATTLE (AP) — The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner blowout that left a gaping hole on an Alaska Airlines plane this January, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
Citing documents and people familiar with the matter, the newspaper said investigators have contacted some passengers and crew — including pilots and flight attendants — who were on the Jan. 5th flight.
The Boeing plane used by Alaska Airlines suffered the blowout seven minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since the incident, when a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Max 9 jet. There were no serious injuries.
“In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation,” Alaska Airlines said in a prepared statement. “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”
Boeing declined to comment. DOJ did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The Journal reported that the investigation would assist the Department’s review of whether Boeing complied with a previous settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft following two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Citing documents and people familiar with the matter, the newspaper said investigators have contacted some passengers and crew — including pilots and flight attendants — who were on the Jan. 5th flight.
The Boeing plane used by Alaska Airlines suffered the blowout seven minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since the incident, when a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Max 9 jet. There were no serious injuries.
“In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation,” Alaska Airlines said in a prepared statement. “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”
Boeing declined to comment. DOJ did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The Journal reported that the investigation would assist the Department’s review of whether Boeing complied with a previous settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft following two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Related video: Another Mid-Flight Boeing Incident Occurs Amid Increased Scrutiny (Money Talks News) Duration 1:30 View on Watch
In 2021, Boeing had agreed to pay $2.5 billion, including a $244 million fine, to settle an investigation into the crashes of flights operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines. The company also blamed two employees for deceiving regulators about flaws in the flight-control system.
Boeing has acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it cannot find records for work done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane.
“We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,” Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen. Maria Cantwell on Friday.
The company said its “working hypothesis” was that the records about the panel's removal and reinstallation on the 737 MAX final assembly line in Renton, Washington, were never created, even though Boeing's systems required it.
The letter, reported earlier by The Seattle Times, followed a contentious Senate committee hearing Wednesday in which Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board argued over whether the company had cooperated with investigators.
The safety board’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, testified that for two months Boeing repeatedly refused to identify employees who work on door panels on Boeing 737s and failed to provide documentation about a repair job that included removing and reinstalling the door panel.
“It’s absurd that two months later we don’t have that,” Homendy said. “Without that information, that raises concerns about quality assurance, quality management, safety management systems” at Boeing.
Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, demanded a response from Boeing within 48 hours.
Shortly after the Senate hearing, Boeing said it had given the NTSB the names of all employees who work on 737 doors — and had previously shared some of them with investigators.
In the letter, Boeing said it had already made clear to the safety board that it couldn't find the documentation. Until the hearing, it said, “Boeing was not aware of any complaints or concerns about a lack of collaboration.”
In a preliminary report last month, the NTSB said four bolts that help keep the door plug in place were missing after the panel was removed so workers could repair nearby damaged rivets last September. The rivet repairs were done by contractors working for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, but the NTSB still does not know who removed and replaced the door panel, Homendy said Wednesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration recently gave Boeing 90 days to say how it will respond to quality-control issues raised by the agency and a panel of industry and government experts. The panel found problems in Boeing’s safety culture despite improvements made after two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.
Gene Johnson, The Associated Press
Boeing's delivery delays force United Airlines to pause pilot hiring as fallout spreads from 737 Max safety issues
Story by Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com and Reuters •2 DAYS AGO
United said in a memo on Thursday that it will pause pilot hiring for two months
Carrier blamed delivery delays from Boeing, which is under safety investigation
Boeing says the hiring delay will likely stunt its growth plans for 2024
United Airlines will pause pilot hiring in May and June due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, according to an internal memo.
'United will slow the pace of pilot hires this year due to continued aircraft certification delay and manufacturing delays at Boeing,' said the memo to all United pilots on Thursday.
According to the message, United says it would not be able to grow in pace with its 2024 expectations due to continued delays at Boeing.
Boeing is facing increased scrutiny from regulators due to a January 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 Max plane in mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has also barred the plane maker from expanding production of its best-selling 737 Max narrow-bodied jets.
United Airlines will pause pilot hiring in May and June due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, according to an internal memo (file photo)© Provided by Daily Mail
Boeing is facing increased scrutiny from regulators due to a January 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 Max plane in mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight © Provided by Daily Mail
'We had contractual deliveries for 80 Max 10s this year alone, but those aircraft aren't even certified yet and it is impossible to know when they will arrive,' said the memo from Marc Champion, VP flight operations, and Kirk Limacher, VP flight operations planning and development.
New hire classes for United pilots are expected to resume in July, the memo showed.
Meanwhile, Boeing is under further scrutiny over safety issues, after federal regulators said they are investigating another issue involving a 737 Max plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday it is probing a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight last month that experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals during the landing rollout.
The NTSB said in a preliminary report on the February 6 flight that the plane taxied to the gate at Newark Airport without incident and there were no injuries to the 161 passengers and crew.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday it is probing a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight last month that experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals
Story by Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com and Reuters •2 DAYS AGO
United said in a memo on Thursday that it will pause pilot hiring for two months
Carrier blamed delivery delays from Boeing, which is under safety investigation
Boeing says the hiring delay will likely stunt its growth plans for 2024
United Airlines will pause pilot hiring in May and June due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, according to an internal memo.
'United will slow the pace of pilot hires this year due to continued aircraft certification delay and manufacturing delays at Boeing,' said the memo to all United pilots on Thursday.
According to the message, United says it would not be able to grow in pace with its 2024 expectations due to continued delays at Boeing.
Boeing is facing increased scrutiny from regulators due to a January 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 Max plane in mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has also barred the plane maker from expanding production of its best-selling 737 Max narrow-bodied jets.
United Airlines will pause pilot hiring in May and June due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, according to an internal memo (file photo)© Provided by Daily Mail
Boeing is facing increased scrutiny from regulators due to a January 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 Max plane in mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight © Provided by Daily Mail
'We had contractual deliveries for 80 Max 10s this year alone, but those aircraft aren't even certified yet and it is impossible to know when they will arrive,' said the memo from Marc Champion, VP flight operations, and Kirk Limacher, VP flight operations planning and development.
New hire classes for United pilots are expected to resume in July, the memo showed.
Meanwhile, Boeing is under further scrutiny over safety issues, after federal regulators said they are investigating another issue involving a 737 Max plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday it is probing a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight last month that experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals during the landing rollout.
The NTSB said in a preliminary report on the February 6 flight that the plane taxied to the gate at Newark Airport without incident and there were no injuries to the 161 passengers and crew.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday it is probing a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight last month that experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals
© Provided by Daily Mail
It reported that the captain said that during the landing rollout, the rudder pedals did not move in response to 'normal' application of foot pressure while attempting to maintain the runway centerline.
Last month, the FAA formally mandated inspections in Boeing 737 Max airplanes for loose bolts in the rudder control systems after the plane maker recommended them in December.
The NTSB report said the captain said that in the Max 8 flight last month the pedals remained 'stuck' in their neutral position.
The captain used the nosewheel steering tiller to keep the airplane near the runway centerline while slowing to a safe speed before exiting the runway onto a high-speed turn-off, the report said.
The NTSB said the captain asked the first officer to check his rudder pedals and the first officer reported the same problem. The captain said that shortly thereafter the rudder pedals began to operate normally.
Three days after the incident, United conducted a test flight and was able to duplicate the reported rudder system malfunction identified during the incident on the same plane.
The NTSB was notified of the flight control issue after the flight test result and opened an incident investigation.Read more
It reported that the captain said that during the landing rollout, the rudder pedals did not move in response to 'normal' application of foot pressure while attempting to maintain the runway centerline.
Last month, the FAA formally mandated inspections in Boeing 737 Max airplanes for loose bolts in the rudder control systems after the plane maker recommended them in December.
The NTSB report said the captain said that in the Max 8 flight last month the pedals remained 'stuck' in their neutral position.
The captain used the nosewheel steering tiller to keep the airplane near the runway centerline while slowing to a safe speed before exiting the runway onto a high-speed turn-off, the report said.
The NTSB said the captain asked the first officer to check his rudder pedals and the first officer reported the same problem. The captain said that shortly thereafter the rudder pedals began to operate normally.
Three days after the incident, United conducted a test flight and was able to duplicate the reported rudder system malfunction identified during the incident on the same plane.
The NTSB was notified of the flight control issue after the flight test result and opened an incident investigation.Read more
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