Passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight whose panel burst in mid-air could be victims of a crime, the FBI said in a statement. a letter obtained by CBS News.
The two-page letter was sent by a victim specialist with the FBI’s Seattle Division to those flying (174 passengers and possibly six crew members) on flight number 1282 on January 5 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.
The plane had to make an emergency landing and arrived safely at the Portland airport after a door panel came loose mid-flight.
“We have identified you as a possible victim of a crime,” the FBI letter said. “This case is currently being investigated by the FBI. “A criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking and, for various reasons, we are unable to update you on its progress at this time.”
There are a “large number of potential victims in this case,” the FBI said in its letter. The letter detailed how fliers could access information about the case and warned that criminal investigations “can be a lengthy undertaking.”
Three passengers on the Alaska Airlines plane are suing the airline and Boeing for $1 billion, alleging negligence caused the incident. Authorities said several people suffered minor injuries, but none were seriously injured.
The FAA ordered the temporary grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 planes shortly after the incident and required safety inspections for planes in operation around the world. The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report found that Four bolts intended to hold the door stopper in place were missing.
The US Department of Justice is also currently investigating the explosion, a person familiar with the investigation confirmed to CBS News earlier this month. It is not known if his investigation is related to the letter sent by the FBI’s Seattle office.
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