Alaska Airways stated on Saturday (Mar 9) it’s cooperating with the US Division of Justice after a prison investigation was opened into the Boeing 737 MAX blowout on its flight in January.
“In an occasion like this, it is regular for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation. We’re totally cooperating and don’t consider we’re a goal of the investigation,” Alaska Airways stated in an emailed assertion to Reuters.
The Wall Road Journal earlier reported, citing paperwork and folks aware of the matter, that the investigators have contacted some passengers and crew on the Jan 5 flight, which made an emergency touchdown in Portland, Oregon, after a fuselage panel ripped off midair.
The investigation would inform the DOJ’s assessment of whether or not Boeing complied with an earlier settlement that resolved a federal investigation following two deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, the report added.
Boeing and DOJ didn’t instantly reply to Reuters request for feedback.
The door plug panel blew off an Alaska Airways operated flight not lengthy after taking off from a Portland, Oregon, airport on Jan 5, forcing pilots to scramble to land the aircraft safely.
