DOJ Convenes Grand Jury for Boeing Criminal Probe

The US Justice Department has convened a grand jury as part of a criminal investigation into the Jan. 5 midair blowout of a Boeing Co. door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The grand jury activity, which usually includes the issuance of subpoenas for interviews and documents, is a sign that the investigation into Boeing — and whether it has criminal liability for the incident — is deepening.

News of the grand jury, which was reported earlier by the Washington Post, doesn’t necessarily mean the probe will result in charges.

Bloomberg reported previously that the department was looking into whether the door plug blowout falls under the government’s 2021 deferred-prosecution agreement with the company over two previous fatal crashes of its 737 Max jetliner. It couldn’t be immediately determined whether the criminal investigation is part of that review or has now become a standalone effort.

Earlier: US Opens Criminal Investigation Into Alaska’s Midair Blowout

To contact the reporter on this story:
Chris Strohm in Washington at cstrohm1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net

Angela Moon

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