The FBI told Alaska Airline passengers from flight 1282 that lost a door-plug in January while in midflight that they are possibly victims of a crime, reports state.
“I’m contacting you because we have identified you as a possible victim of a crime,” a victim specialist with the FBI’s Seattle division wrote in the letter that was sent to passengers aboard the plane, according to multiple media outlets.
The plane was a Boeing 737 Max and was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members. The aircraft flew 16,000 feet over Oregon on Jan. 5 when the door panel blew out leaving a huge hole on the side of it.
Loss of cabin pressure caused oxygen masks to drop from the ceiling and the force from air being sucked out of the plane exerted force on passengers and crew.
Pilots landed safely in Portland, Oregon, and no one onboard was seriously injured.
Investigators say four bolts used to help secure the panel appeared to be missing after the plane was worked on at a Boeing factory in Renton, Washington.
