The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner blowout that left a gaping hole on an Alaska Airlines plane this January. The Wall Street Journal reported that investigators have contacted passengers and crew, including pilots and flight attendants, who were on the Jan. 5th flight. The incident occurred just seven minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, when a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off the Boeing plane used by Alaska Airlines, prompting an emergency landing. While there were no serious injuries, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for several weeks for inspections.

Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since the incident, as it was unable to find records for work done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been investigating the incident and has criticized Boeing for failing to provide documentation about the repair job that included removing and reinstalling the panel. The NTSB found that four bolts meant to hold the door plug in place were missing after the panel was removed for repairs last September.

In response to the NTSB's criticism, Boeing stated that it had provided the names of all employees who work on 737 doors to the safety board and had previously shared some of them with investigators. However, the company has declined to provide the full list of individuals on the 737 door team, citing the unavailability of the team manager and the erasure of security camera footage that might have shown who removed the panel.

The Justice Department's investigation into the Alaska Airlines incident is part of a review of whether Boeing complied with a previous settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft following two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the investigation, including a $244 million fine, and pledged not to violate any laws or terms of the agreement. The Justice Department is now reviewing whether the Alaska Airlines incident falls within the scope of the deferred prosecution agreement and if Boeing abided by its terms. Alaska Airlines has stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation and does not believe it is a target of the probe. Boeing declined to comment on the matter.