By Joe Edwards
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A letter sent to families of those who died following two Boeing airliner crashes says they are victims of fraud.
The letter from the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Boeing faces possible criminal prosecution over two fatal crashes involving its aircraft.
The letter stated that a federal criminal case is pending against Boeing, as the DOJ said that Boeing breached its obligations from a Deferred Prosecution Agreement.
Read More
Boeing Troubles Just Got Worse3 min read
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun Steps Down Amid Multiple Safety Issues3 min read
Boeing Plane Incidents Timeline: Full List of 9 Issues in 3 Months4 min read
A DPA is an agreement between a prosecutor and a corporation under criminal investigation, which allows the corporation to avoid prosecution by meeting certain specified conditions, such as reforming the company.
The DOJ said in the letter that Boeing breached its DPA obligations by "failing to design, implement and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations."
...
Boeing has a deadline of June 13 2024 to respond to the DOJ.
The case is being jointly handled by the DOJ's criminal division, fraud section and the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of Texas.
A spokesperson for Boeing told Newsweek: "We can confirm that we received a communication today from the Justice Department, stating that the Department has made a determination that we have not met our obligations under our 2021 deferred prosecution agreement, and requesting the company's response.
"We believe that we have honored the terms of that agreement, and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this issue. As we do so, we will engage with the Department with the utmost transparency, as we have throughout the entire term of the agreement, including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident."
The letter is in reference to two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.
The first disaster involved Lion Air Flight 610, which crashed into the Java Sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 people aboard.
The second crash occurred on March 10, 2019, when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 went down minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing all 157 passengers and crew onboard.
Investigations into both accidents revealed a critical issue with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, which was designed to automatically adjust the flight control system to prevent the plane from stalling.
However, erroneous sensor data triggered the MCAS system improperly, leading to a pitch down of the aircraft which the pilots struggled to correct.
Following these accidents, the Boeing 737 MAX fleet was grounded worldwide in March 2019. The grounding lasted until December 2020, marking one of the most significant actions taken against a commercial aircraft model in aviation history.
In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion to resolve charges by the DOJ that it conspired to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration during the model's certification process. The settlements included a criminal penalty and compensation for airline customers and crash-victim families.
In January 2024, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft's door blew out due to issues with a faulty door plug. No passengers were injured. CEO David Calhoun announced he would step down following the incident.
Update, 05/16/2024, 4:08 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Boeing.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have questions about the ongoing issues at Boeing? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines