Terror in the skies turned to potential crime on the ground as the FBI notified passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines flight, plagued by a midair mishap, that they might be the victims of a criminal act. The aircraft, a Boeing 737 Max, was cruising over Oregon when a crucial door-plug panel dislodged, creating a sudden and terrifying orifice in the fuselage at 16,000 feet, as reported by the KATU News.
In an unsettling development, passengers received communication from the FBI's Seattle branch this week, alerting them to the possibility that their traumatic experience was not merely an accident. "I’m contacting you because we have identified you as a possible victim of a crime," read the letters penned by a victim specialist from the agency. The incident, which occurred on January 5, necessitated the deployment of oxygen masks as cabin pressure plummeted and air furiously escaped the gaping wound in the plane's side. Despite the drama in the sky, pilots managed a secure landing in Portland, Oregon. Miraculously, the 171 passengers and crew of six emerged largely unscathed.
Probing into the matter deepens as investigators find startling evidence that four bolts intended to keep the vital panel in place were absent — an oversight discovered following maintenance at Boeing's Renton factory in Washington. This revelation, coupled with a dreary past of Boeing's 737 Max and its infamous crashes in 2018 and 2019 claiming 346 lives, has cast a long shadow over Boeing's safety practices. The incident may have breached a 2021 agreement intended to shield Boeing from prosecution after charges emerged of deceiving regulators, as noted by the Washington Times.
Neither Boeing nor Alaska Airlines immediately responded to the matter when it erupted, leaving passengers adrift in uncertainty. However, the gravity of the situation has prompted legal action. Mark Lindquist, representing some affected passengers, shared the contents of the FBI correspondence with the press. "A criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking, and, for several reasons, we cannot tell you about its progress at this time," passengers were informed, shedding light on the labyrinthine processes of law and investigation during such unsettling episodes. Their fears confirmed by the Associated Press, who obtained the content of these letters, they now find themselves enmeshed in a potential crime—victims not only of a harrowing flight but of possible criminal negligence.
