More chaos for Boeing as criminal investigation launched over terrifying 16,000ft door blowout on Alaska Airlines flight

A CRIMINAL investigation has been launched into Boeing over a terrifying 16,000ft door blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight.

Investigators have reportedly contacted some of the passengers and crew on board the 737 MAX on January 5.

In a freak accident, a fuselage panel ripped off midair and forced the plane to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.

It sees Boeing placed at the centre of more controversy just days after a wheel dropped from a packed plane during takeoff at an airport in San Francisco last week.

As part of the new investigation, the Justice Department has interviewed pilots and flight attendants on the flight.

“In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation," Alaska Airlines said. "We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation."

Boeing have declined to comment on the situation.

The investigation comes at a time when Boeing is already under scrutiny for its safety record following a series of incidents.

That includes the two fatal crashes involving the Boeing 737 MAX in both 2018 and 2019.

The DOJ probe will inform authorities’ assessment of whether Boeing has complied with the terms of a $2.5bn (£1.9bn) settlement to avoid prosecution in relation to those crashes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have since conducted an audit of the company that included interviews with employees and a visit to its production line.

On Monday, The FAA said it had identified “non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control".

They added that Boeing has 90 days to formulate a plan to correct the issues.

In a separate report released last month, FAA revealed they had found serious problems with Boeing's safety culture, including fears of retaliation among employees with safety concerns.

Just days after the window was ripped from the plane mid-flight, US regulators announced they would order the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.

At the time, the Federal Aviation Administration said some of the planes required immediate inspections before they could return to flight.

In December, shocking footage showed the moment a parked Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 737-700 was blown across an airport by 100mph winds and smashed into boarding stairs.

The video was captured during a violent storm in Argentina, in which the plane was forced to turn to its side.