The bad news for Boeing continues.
The planemaker’s troubles began in January when the fuselage of one of its 737 MAX planes ruptured mid-flight.Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was taking off from Portland, Oregon. Part of the plane’s fuselage suddenly exploded. The plane quickly returned to the airport and landed smoothly. Although there were no serious injuries, the incident kicked off a months-long saga. A whirlwind of negative attention for aircraft manufacturers.The whirlwind included increased media censorship, a series of additional safety incidentsand the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of Flight 1282.
The company’s troubles doubled two weeks ago when reports emerged that the Justice Department had formally filed a lawsuit against the company. launch criminal investigation Enter flight 1282. At the time, Alaska Airlines dismissed concerns, noting that “it is normal for the Department of Justice to conduct an investigation in an incident like this.” Days later, The New York Times reported that the Justice Department was “expanding” the criminal investigation and was sending grand jury subpoenas.
This week, it was revealed that the FBI had sent letters to passengers on the Alaska flight saying they may have been victims of a “crime.”A copy of one of the letters has been shared with nbc. By Mark Lindquist, an attorney for some of the passengers on the plane. The letter, written by a victim specialist with the FBI’s Seattle Division, states: “I am contacting you because we have determined that you may be a victim of a crime.” The letter also states, The FBI is conducting a “criminal investigation,” which may take some time to complete.
Gizmodo reached out to the Justice Department and Boeing for more information and will update this story when they respond.
Boeing’s troubles have multiplied in many ways, sometimes surprising. In addition to ongoing safety concerns related to the aircraft, the company has faced criticism online for: Death of corporate whistleblower John Barnett. Barnett, who had criticized the company’s production and safety procedures, died at his motel two weeks ago. Officials said his death appeared to be the result of suicide, but it nonetheless sparked conspiracy theories online — largely because Barnett was in the midst of a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against the company at the time of his death.Barnett’s family has Blames Boeing for what he suffered The “hostile work environment,” they argued, “led to his death.”