Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour told lawmakers that the company was cutting corners in assembling the 787 and 777 planes, and that his superiors retaliated against him for blowing the whistle. (Photo courtesy of Senator Hawley’s Press Office)
Families of people who died in two separate Boeing 737 Max plane crashes five years ago are asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to impose the maximum fines allowed by law on the company and prosecute former executives who were responsible at the time.
Lawyers representing 15 families of loved ones who died in the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 or Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 sent a letter to the Justice Department on Wednesday calling for Boeing to be fined $24.78 billion and for criminal charges to be brought against company executives allegedly responsible, including former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who resigned in December 2019.
Families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash held a memorial rally in front of the U.S. Department of Transportation Headquarters in Washington, DC on September 10, 2019, six months after the Ethiopian Airlines crash. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia in October 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed in Ethiopia just minutes after takeoff a few months later in March 2019. Both flights involved Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and 346 people were killed in the two crashes.
In 2021, Boeing entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government that exempted the embattled company from criminal prosecution related to the two fatal crashes, but the Justice Department determined in May that the plane maker violated its obligations under the agreement. The Justice Department said at the time that “the government is considering how to proceed in the matter.”
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Since then, the victims’ families have spent years increasing pressure on the government to seek justice for their loved ones and hold Boeing responsible for the victims’ deaths.
Family members of victims of the Boeing crash hold signs outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 18, 2024. Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Investigations Subcommittee. (Olivier D’Uglier/AFP/via Getty Images)
The families made their request to the Justice Department the day after Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun held a press conference on Capitol Hill ahead of his testimony at the Justice Department. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations about safety concerns about the company’s practices.
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Several family members of the victims attended the hearing, holding signs with photos of their loved ones. At the start of his testimony, Calhoun stood up to address the grieving families and apologized on behalf of Boeing for their loss.
Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun (right) arrives to testify at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Investigations investigating “Boeing’s Bankruptcy” as family members of victims of the Boeing crash demonstrate. (SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Calhoun, who will step down as CEO at the end of the year but remain on Boeing’s board of directors, acknowledged in his testimony that Boeing was responsible for both accidents.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun is sworn in during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on “The Breakdown of Boeing’s Safety Culture,” Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Hartville. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/Getty Images)
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | Boeing | 174.99 | -3.52 | -1.97% |
Boeing has come under intense scrutiny This comes after a door on one of Alaska Airlines’ planes was blown off in mid-air during a flight in January.
At least a dozen Boeing whistleblowers have raised concerns about the company’s quality assurance and culture. Alaska Airlines incidentthe aircraft manufacturer is currently under investigation by multiple federal agencies.
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FOX Business reached out to Boeing for comment on the letter sent to the Department of Justice by the families of the crash victims, but did not receive a response as of press time.
FOX Business’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
