EMBATTLED planemaker Boeing is set to plead guilt to criminal fraud conspiracy chargers after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in the space of five months.
The company has also agreed to pay a £190 million fine ($243.6 USD) to resolve a U.S Justice Department investigation into the two crashes.
A Boeing 737 Max plane operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air crashed in late October 2018 shortly after take-off, killing all 189 people on board. Just months later, an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed, killing all 157 passengers and crew.
The plea deal, which requires a judge’s approval, would brand the planemaker a convicted felon in connection with crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019 which killed 346 people.
The victim’s families criticised the swift deal, as they had hoped to see Boeing face a trial and suffer harsher financial consequences.
Lawyers for some of the victims’ families said they planned to press Judge Reed O’Connor, who has been overseeing the case, to reject the deal.
Kriendler and Kriendler LLP lawyer Erin Applebaum, who represents some of the victims’ relatives said the deal was a “slap on the wrist”.
Paul Cassell, a lawyer representing some families of people killed on the 2018 and 2019 flights, said: “This sweetheart deal fails to recognise that because of Boeing’s conspiracy, 346 people died.
“Through crafty lawyering between Boeing and DoJ, the deadly consequences of Boeing’s crime are being hidden.”
Ed Pierson, executive director of Foundation for Aviation Safety and a former senior manager at Boeing, said the plea was “seriously disappointing” and “a terrible deal for justice”.
He said: “Instead of holding individuals accountable, they’re just basically giving them another get out of jail free card.”
Boeing became exposed to criminal prosecution after the Justice Department found the company violated a 2021 settlement involving the fatal crashes.
A Boeing spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle on terms of a resolution with the Justice Department, subject to the memorialization and approval of specific terms.”
As part of the deal, the planemaker agreed to spend at least $455 million over the next three years to boost safety and compliance programs.
The filing said Boeing’s board would have to meet with relatives of those killed in the MAX crashes.
The DOJ and Boeing are working to document the full written plea agreement and file it in federal court in Texas by July 19.
The Justice Department’s (DOJ) push to charge Boeing has deepened an ongoing crisis engulfing Boeing.
The embattled planemaker has faced a series of failures in recent years.
A Packed jumbo jet’s windshield cracked at 40,000ft sparking fears of a new flaw.
The Sun was shown a shocking snap of the Virgin Atlantic plane window after it returned to the UK.
Alarmingly the central glass panel appeared to be dented in multiple areas.
The cockpit crew were terrified as the four-layer thick glass smashed three hours into a flight from Heathrow to San Francisco.
Virgin Flight VS41 was between Greenland and Iceland when it was forced to turn back to the UK on May 27.
The jet’s altitude meant it was not hit by a bird and has left investigators baffled.
Earlier in May, shocking footage emerged of panicked passengers fleeing a burning plane after it skidded off the runway, in the third Boeing crash in two day.
Footage shows the Boeing 737 jet on fire as terrified passengers are jumping to the ground in the Dakar airport in Senegal.
The Transair flight carrying 78 passengers, reportedly experienced a hydraulic issue before the problematic landing at Blaise Diagne Airport.
The incident happened in the morning after the plane’s left wing and engine reportedly caught fire after the plane took off from Bamako Airport.
All 73 passengers were evacuated with fifteen of them being left injured- four of them seriously.
Meanwhile in South Korea, a Boeing 737 Max plummeted nearly 27,000 ft in minutes, injuring 17 passengers and leaving them scrambling for oxygen masks.
The Korean Air Boeing 737 Max 8 departed from Incheon International Airport, near South Korean capital Seoul, at 4.45pm on Saturday for a trip to Taiwan.
But before it could make it to Taichung International Airport, a fault with pressure meant the plane dropped 26,900ft in just 15 minutes.
The staggering drop, which was recorded on FlightRadar, took place as the plane soared across Jeju – South Korea‘s largest island.
Around 50 minutes into the flight, the plane suffered a pressure drop, according to local outlet JoongAng Daily.
Meanwhile a Boeing whistleblower has come forward claiming that Boeing is using non-conforming parts on its 737 Max planes.
Sam Mohawk, a current Boeing employee, alleged that the company has cut corners by losing track of parts that have been labeled as being not up to design standards.
Mohawk claimed that non-conforming parts get a second chance since they can be fixed or were mislabeled.
“Mohawk feared that non-conforming parts were being installed on the 737s and that it could lead to a catastrophic event,” read a statement from the subcommittee, adding that Mohawk filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
BOEING has found itself at the centre of increasingly concerning reports in recent months thanks to alleged malfunctions on some of its planes.
April 2018- Woman dies after being partially sucked out of window on Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 flight
October 2018 – Boeing 737 MAX 8 Indonesia Lion Air fatal crash leaves 189 dead
March 2019 – Boeing 737 MAX 8 Ethiopia Airlines fatal crash leaves 157 dead
January 2024 – Boeing 747 Delta Airlines plane loses front tyre
January 2024 – Boeing Alaska Airlines ripped window leaving gaping hole in the plane
March 2024 – Wheel falls off Boeing 777 United Airlines plane smashing cars below
March 2024 – Boeing 787 LATAM LA800 took a “sudden nose-dive” leaving 50 injured
April 2024- Boeing 737 engine cover ripped off mid-air
April 2024 – Wheel falls off and smoke billows from Boeing 737 FlySafair FA212 in South Africa
April 2024- Boeing 747 Lufthansa Airlines seen bouncing along the runway in another huge safety blunder.
May 2024 – Boeing 767 FedEx plane nosedives on runway due to front landing gear failure
May 2024- A 737 with 50 passengers on board was forced into an emergency landing in Japan just minutes after take-off
June 2024- Boeing 737-800 makes a heartstopping botched takeoff from Turkey leaving Brits fearing for their lives
