FBI emails passengers of Alaska Airlines blowout, saying they may be victims of crime

SEATTLE - The FBI is emailing passengers from the Alaska Airlines mid-flight blowout in January, saying they may be victims of a crime.

According to a letter acquired by FOX 13 News, the FBI is reaching out to "possible victims" of Alaska Airlines flight 1282, which involved a Boeing 737 Max 9 that experienced a mid-flight door plug blow out on Jan. 5, 2024. This criminal probe is the latest in a string of misfortunes for the embattled plane maker, which is already under federal investigation after a recent history of crashes and manufacturing issues.

Panels have fallen off, tires have come loose, windshields have cracked on landing, and most notoriously, two 737 MAX plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019 killed more than 300 people.

"My firm’s clients and I welcome the DOJ investigation. We want answers, accountability, and safer Boeing planes," wrote attorney Mark Lindquist, who is representing dozens of passengers of the Alaska flight in a separate suit. "The DOJ brings a hammer that should help us with those goals."

Published reports and government officials have said the U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into whether the panel blowout violated terms of a 2021 settlement that let Boeing avoid prosecution for allegedly misleading regulators who certified the 737 Max.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.