This morning, the Justice Department initiated an investigation into the mid-flight blowout of a door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight last month. The focus of the investigation is to determine if Boeing could face criminal liability due to a settlement made by the company in 2021. This development adds to the existing scrutiny Boeing is under regarding the door plug incident and overall quality control at its Washington factory.
If the Justice Department finds that Boeing breached the deferred prosecution agreement made in 2021, the company may be exposed to criminal charges. The agreement was established following the 737 MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019, with Boeing admitting to fraud to avoid a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Notably, the agreement, which cost Boeing $2.5 billion, including a $243 million criminal fine, did not involve consultation with crash victims' families.
The deferred prosecution agreement was set to expire on January 7th, just two days after the door plug incident on January 5th. Boeing has not provided a comment on the recent developments, and the Justice Department has also remained silent.
In parallel, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a directive to Boeing, requiring the company to present a plan within 90 days to address its quality control issues. The FAA's audit into Boeing's quality control practices is ongoing, with the report expected to be released in the coming week.
Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its investigation into the quality control problems at the heart of the matter. The NTSB's preliminary report revealed that the 737 MAX 9 used for Alaska Flight 1282 left the Boeing factory in October without four critical bolts necessary to secure the door plug on the aircraft.
Adding to the complexity, an expert panel recently uncovered that Boeing's factory workers were apprehensive about reporting safety concerns to their managers due to fears of retaliation. This revelation underscores the broader issues surrounding safety protocols and workplace culture within Boeing's operations.
