Unfastening a Boeing door: Passengers could become victims of a “crime,” according to the FBI

According to the FBI, US media reported on Friday that passengers on board the Boeing whose door was opened during the flight may have been the victims of a crime. The Justice Department had already announced in early March that it had opened a criminal investigation into the high-profile incident, which occurred on January 5 when a “door stopper” (a metal panel placed where a door could be placed) was torn from the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines plane.

No one was seriously injured, but the 737 MAX 9 had to make an emergency landing. Photos of terrified passengers sitting next to the gaping hole in the flight went viral around the world. According to the Seattle Times, the passengers recently received a letter from the FBI, which is investigating the matter.

“I am contacting you because we have identified you as a possible victim of a crime,” a US federal police agent wrote in the document. “A criminal investigation can be a lengthy undertaking and for a number of reasons we are unable to update you on its progress at this time,” he adds.

According to the US Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which blamed Boeing, several bolts that were supposed to secure the cover holder were missing. The aircraft manufacturer has been particularly criticized for its slowness in cooperating with authorities.

In early March, the NTSB clarified that it had not received some important documents and that the company still had not released the names of the employees who worked on the part in question. “It’s absurd that two months later we don’t have this information,” NTSB President Jennifer Homendy told U.S. lawmakers.