Former Department of Transportation official Diana Ferchtgott Ross told “The Evening Edit” that the Federal Aviation Administration is “investigating.”
Federal prosecutors Aircraft manufacturer Boeing Reuters reported that the company plans to meet with families of victims of the two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 ahead of a July 7 deadline for the Department of Justice to decide whether to file criminal charges against the company.
Reuters reported the story, citing two people familiar with the matter and documents it said it had reviewed. One of Reuters’ sources said: Department of Justice (DOJ) Officials met Thursday with the company’s lawyers about the government’s determination that Boeing violated a 2021 agreement with the agency.
A deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) had protected Boeing from criminal charges in two crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
Boeing’s lawyers from the law firm Kirkland & Ellis reportedly argued to Justice Department officials in the assistant attorney general’s office that the charges were unjustified and that the 2021 contract should not be torn up – a common plea for companies negotiating to settle government investigations.
US prosecutors recommend filing criminal charges against Boeing for violating settlement agreement: Report
Family members of victims of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that crashed in 2019, hold up photos of their loved ones as Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testifies before a Senate committee in June 2024. (Alison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP/via Getty Images)
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The company previously said it would “honor” the terms of the settlement and told prosecutors it would The agreement was violated.
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | Boeing | 182.00 | -0.58 | -0.32% |
A second source for the outlet said federal prosecutors will meet separately with the victims’ families on Sunday to update them on the progress of their investigation. An email sent by the Justice Department and seen by Reuters said authorities were working on a “tight schedule.”
Boeing crash victims’ families ask Justice Department to fine the company $24 billion, file charges against former executives
The Jan. 5 incident, in which a door plug panel on a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet ruptured in mid-air, occurred two days before Boeing’s DPA was set to expire. (Mathieu Louis-Roland/Getty Images)
A senior Justice Department official said prosecutors Criminal liability Reuters previously reported that the company should be sued after it found that plane maker Boeing had violated a 2021 settlement.
The two sides are in talks about a resolution to the Justice Department’s investigation, but said last week there was no guarantee the agency would move forward with charges against Boeing.
The talks came after a plug door panel on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 ruptured in flight on Jan. 5 and an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a loss of cabin pressure after takeoff, forcing it to make an emergency landing back at Portland International Airport in Oregon.
Boeing responds after being criticized by NTSB for leaking details of Alaska Airlines door burst investigation
Family members of victims of the Boeing crashes hold signs outside the U.S. Capitol as Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun testifies at a Senate hearing on June 18, 2024. (Olivier D’Uglier/AFP/via Getty Images)
The incident occurred two days before Boeing’s deferred prosecution agreement was set to expire, exposing continuing safety and quality problems at the aerospace giant.
Boeing was poised to avoid criminal charges of conspiring to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in connection with fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in Ethiopia in March 2019 both involved Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, leading the FAA to ground the planes until November 2020.
Prosecutors had agreed to drop the criminal charges on the condition that Boeing conduct an overhaul of its compliance practices, submit periodic reports over three years and pay $2.5 billion to settle the investigation.
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Authorities determined in May that Boeing had violated the agreement and was at risk of prosecution. The Justice Department said in a Texas court filing that Boeing had failed to “design, implement and enforce the agreement.” Compliance and Ethics Program To prevent and detect violations of U.S. fraud laws throughout our operations.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
