Alaska Airlines cooperates with DOJ in Boeing 737 MAX explosion investigation By Reuters

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(Reuters) – Alaska Airlines said on Saturday it is cooperating with the U.S. Justice Department after a criminal investigation was launched into the in-flight explosion of a Boeing 737 MAX in January.

“It is normal for the DOJ to conduct an investigation in these cases. We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are the target of an investigation,” Alaska Airlines said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported, citing documents and people familiar with the matter, that investigators had contacted some passengers and crew on the Jan. 5 plane that made an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, after a fuselage panel tore off in the air.

The report added that the investigation will inform the Justice Department’s review of whether Boeing has complied with a previous agreement that resolved the federal investigation into two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Boeing and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

A door plug panel flew off an Alaska Airlines plane shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, on January 5, forcing pilots to scramble to land the plane safely.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) later ordered the temporary grounding of 171 similarly configured narrowbody MAX 9 jets.

Days after the incident, Alaska Airlines announced it had completed inspections of the first group of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and then resumed MAX 9 service on January 26.

In February, the National Transportation Safety Board said the blown door panel appeared to be missing four key bolts. These plugs are manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE:), a one-time subsidiary of Boeing that spun off from its parent company in 2005.