The FBI is investigating the Alaska Airlines flight in January that saw a door plug blow off the plane midflight — and has told passengers they may be “a possible victim of a crime.”
🚨 What just happened?
The incident took place on a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane, which allegedly had missing bolts that contributed to the door plug blowout. The panel flew off while the aircraft was at an altitude of about 16,000 feet.
Days after the blowout, dozens of passengers from the flight filed lawsuits against Boeing. In March, Boeing and Alaska Airlines separately denied legal responsibility — despite Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun telling CNBC that the incident was “our mistake” — and asked for the cases to be dismissed.
Mark Lindquist, an attorney representing 27 of the passengers, told CNN that his clients started receiving the letters from the FBI’s Seattle office on March 19.
The investigation adds to the growing list of legal issues Boeing is facing. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have also launched their own probes into the company, which is one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers.
🗓️ Let’s rewind. How did we end up here?
March 2024
The FAA’s 737 Max production audit finds multiple instances where Boeing allegedly did not comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.
In two separate incidents, a Boeing 777-200 loses a wheel during takeoff from San Francisco and a Boeing 737 skids off the runway after landing in Houston.
The next week, a prominent Boeing whistleblower — former employee John Barnett — dies by suicide while in Charleston, S.C., for a deposition for a lawsuit against Boeing.
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner nose-dives during a flight from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, injuring at least 50 people, on the same day a Boeing 777 flight from Sydney is forced to turn around due to a maintenance issue.
Another Boeing 777 is forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after pilots report a flat tire.
A Boeing 737 that took off from San Francisco later that week is found to be missing a panel during a postflight inspection.
On Friday, Boeing sues Virgin Galactic, accusing it of stealing trade secrets.
Whistleblowers, nosedives and a DOJ investigation: Read more about Boeing’s March mishaps on Yahoo News
February 2024
The NTSB publishes a preliminary report that found the Alaska Airlines flight was missing four key bolts, which is why the door plug blew out.
January 2024
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 experiences a door plug blowout midflight. The FAA subsequently grounds all Max 9 aircraft to investigate.
Read more from BBC News: Passenger describes being on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282
December 2023
Boeing urges airlines to inspect all 737 Max jets for potential loose hardware in the plane’s rudder control systems.
August 2023
Boeing reports a supplier quality issue with 737 Max planes involving improperly drilled holes.
October 2022
The FAA tells Boeing that some documents submitted for the certification review of the 737 Max 7 are incomplete.
March 2021
China’s aviation regulator claims there are major safety concerns with the Boeing Max jets.
November 2020
The FAA allows Boeing 737 Max planes to fly again.
September 2020
An 18-month-long investigation by a House of Representatives panel concludes that Boeing failed in its design and development of the Max aircraft and was not fully transparent with the FAA.
Read more from Reuters: U.S. lawmakers fault FAA, Boeing for deadly 737 Max crashes
January 2020
Boeing suspends all 737 production.
March 2019
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 Max 8, reports a “flight control” problem to the control tower one minute after taking off from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The plane crashes six minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board.
China decides to ground all Boeing 737 Max planes. The FAA follows.
November 2018
The FAA and Boeing announce they are investigating software and design changes on all 737 Max planes following the Lion Air crash.
October 2018
Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 737 Max aircraft, crashes 13 minutes after takeoff from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia. All 189 on board are killed.
⚖️ Boeing had problems for years. Why are they being investigated only now?
“We’ve known [about Boeing] for five years,” Mark Pegram, father of one of the Ethiopian Airlines flight victims, told NPR in March. “I think the rest of the world is finally waking up to it, that these weren’t just isolated incidents.”
Boeing has paid billions of dollars in settlements since 2018, and the company and its leaders entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in January 2021 with the Department of Justice that has helped them avoid criminal prosecution so far.
Boeing paid $1.77 billion to compensate airline customers, $243.6 million as a criminal fine and $500 million for a compensation fund for family members of crash victims, CNN reported.
A yearlong FAA-commissioned panel review was critical of the safety culture at Boeing, and found that executives and employees were not aligned with what the safety standards were, according to a report from February. The investigation also found that many employees were afraid of retaliation for speaking up.