The FBI has sent a letter to passengers aboard a Boeing jet that exploded in mid-air to tell them they may be victims of a crime, US media reported on Friday.
The move comes after the Justice Department announced earlier this month that it was opening a criminal investigation into the Jan. 5 near-catastrophe, when a panel blew out the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines plane mid-flight.
No one was seriously injured, but the 737 MAX 9 had to make an emergency landing, with footage showing the terrifying scene as passengers sat next to the gaping hole.
The so-called door plug landed in a suburban yard.
The incident resulted in planes with similar configurations being temporarily grounded, forcing thousands of flights to be canceled.
“As a Victim Specialist in the Seattle Division, I am contacting you because we have identified you as a possible crime victim,” the FBI letter sent to the passengers said, according to the Seattle Times, which said it had seen the document. .
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“This case is under investigation by the FBI,” the letter said.
“A criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking and for a number of reasons, we cannot tell you about its progress at this time.”
Federal investigators say bolts that should have secured the panel — a cover for an optional outlet — were not installed.
Aviation giant Boeing has been criticized for dragging its heels in the investigation, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) saying in early March that it had not received key documents or the names of Boeing employees who worked in the department. .
“We don’t have the records. We don’t have the names of the 25 people who are charged with doing this work at this facility,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homedi told US lawmakers.
“It’s absurd two months later not to have this.”
Source: AFP