After being hit with a raft of high-profile problems through the rollout of its new 737 Max aircraft, including deadly crashes, faulty door plugs and fuselage issues, Boeing could now be facing criminal charges over its handling of the scandal.
The Seattle-based aerospace company first found issues with the next-generation aircraft back in 2018 when one of the jets crashed 13 minutes after takeoff. A second crash followed less than six months later, and the 737 Max was quickly grounded while an investigation into the crashes could take place.
The grounding of the aircraft came to an end in November 2020, after the American company reached an agreement with the Federal aviation Administration to improve the safety of the plane. However, issues have resurfaced, and now Ars Technica reports that Boeing could have breached that agreement, which could mean it faces criminal prosecution here in America. As the site explains:
Boeing violated the agreement “by failing to design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the US fraud laws throughout its operations,” the DOJ said in a filing in US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Because of this, “Boeing is subject to prosecution by the United States for any federal criminal violation of which the United States has knowledge,” the DOJ said.
The US government is still determining whether to initiate a prosecution and said it will make a decision by July 7. Under terms of the 2021 agreement, Boeing has 30 days to respond to the government’s notice.
The Justice Department’s findings came after an Alaska Airlines flight had one of its door plugs blow out mid-flight, which led to an emergency landing after the cabin rapidly de-pressurized late last year. The malfunction came just two days before the end of a 2021 deal that was meant to encourage Boeing to increase quality control and safety checks in its production lines.
However, investigators now believe the January 5th Alaska Airlines issue shows that Boeing didn’t stick to the regulations of the 2021 deal, which means it could now face prosecution, reports Reuters. As the site explains:
The determination exposes Boeing to a potential criminal prosecution over the 2018 and 2019 crashes that could carry steep financial penalties and tougher oversight, deepening a corporate crisis and reputational damage stemming from the January blowout.
The decision today doesn’t necessarily mean that Boeing execs are going to prison. The DOJ says it will take into accounts steps the company has made to rectify the issue that led to the Alaska Airlines blowout in its response to the issue.
In a statement, Boeing said it would “engage with the Department with the utmost transparency.” However, the company added that it thinks it “honored the terms of that agreement, and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this issue.”