The Seattle FBI office has alerted Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 passengers that each may be a “possible victim of a crime” after a midair blowout aboard a Boeing 737 MAX airliner earlier this year.
The agency sent a letter to passengers Tuesday, confirming that the FBI — the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Justice — has opened a criminal investigation following the Jan. 5 blowout. On that flight, a piece of the fuselage of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane blew off as the plane left Portland.
Federal investigators contend four bolts meant to secure the fuselage piece, a plug covering a hole for an optional emergency exit, weren’t installed when the plane rolled out of Boeing’s Renton assembly plant late last year. Congress and federal regulators have intensified scrutiny of Boeing in the months since the blowout, which has precipitated a criminal investigation.
The letter sent by a victim support specialist at the FBI’s Seattle office was shared with The Seattle Times by a passenger, as well as an attorney representing several passengers on board.
“As a Victim Specialist with the Seattle Division, I’m contacting you because we have identified you as a possible victim of a crime,” the letter sent to Alaska Flight 1282 passengers read.
“This case is currently under investigation by the FBI,” it continued. “A criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking, and for several reasons, we cannot tell you about its progress at this time.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation into Boeing and that it had interviewed several witnesses in connection with the probe, including the pilot and aircrew of the Alaska Airlines flight. The department also reportedly sent subpoenas and is using a grand jury in Seattle.
Steve Bernd, public affairs manager for the FBI’s Seattle division, said Thursday that Justice Department policy prohibited him from confirming or denying the existence of an investigation.
But two attorneys representing dozens of passengers in litigation against Boeing and Alaska said their clients had received the letters indicating an investigation is underway.
Mark Lindquist, one of those attorneys, said the FBI has not yet asked his clients for any additional information but he expects the letter is a sign the agency will ask to interview those on board. The letter was “encouraging” for some clients, he said, because “it validates their sense that this was a severe event that should not have happened.”
The letter directed individuals to set up a profile through the department’s Victim Notification System to receive updates on the status of the case.
The FBI expected there to be a “large number of potential victims in this case,” and created an email address for “AlaskaFlightVictims” to contact the agency.
The Justice Department’s criminal probe may focus on whether Boeing violated the terms of a 2021 agreement with federal prosecutors following the two MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed more than 300 people.
As part of that deferred prosecution agreement, Boeing would avoid criminal prosecution if it met certain conditions for three years, including reporting any evidence of fraud from its employees or agents and strengthening its compliance program. Boeing was two days away from the agreement’s expiration when the blowout occurred.
Since the January blowout, the Federal Aviation Administration has also opened an investigation into Boeing’s manufacturing processes. After a six-week audit that wrapped up earlier this month, the FAA said it had found dozens of problems at Boeing and its supplier Spirit AeroSystems, including multiple instances where the companies failed to comply with quality-control requirements.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into what led the piece of fuselage to blow off.
Boeing declined to comment on Thursday. Alaska said “in an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation. We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”
