The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a criminal investigation into Alaska Airlines after the door plug of one of its planes blew out during a flight.

Passengers and crew on the January flight were contacted by law enforcement officials trying to uncover the truth behind the door plug accident on one of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft. wall street journal Reported on Saturday.

NEW: People are finding debris from an Alaska Airlines plane with a blown door plug, including a phone that was turned on and left in airplane mode. @SeanSafyre.

Insane.

The search for the “door plug” is still ongoing, but the National Transportation Safety Board… pic.twitter.com/83CiLjuDLW

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 8, 2024

The Justice Department has already interviewed several pilots and flight attendants who were on the plane at the time of the explosion, the paper said. The United States grounded hundreds of commercial 737 Max-9 aircraft after Flight 1282's left door plug broke mid-flight, causing the cabin to depressurize.

Several passengers on board Flight 1282 have filed a lawsuit citing mental and physical trauma, alleging that Boeing “failed to safely design and manufacture the aircraft.” according to on court documents. The plane was en route from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, when the incident occurred. (Related: Major airline finds loose bolts on multiple Boeing planes in its fleet after Alaska Airlines accident)

Alaska Airlines responded to the Justice Department investigation with a statement.

“We are cooperating fully and do not believe we are a target of the investigation,” the airline said in a statement.

Boeing has not yet submitted documentation regarding the manufacture and installation of the door plug that came loose, the newspaper reported. The investigation will assess whether Boeing responded to an earlier settlement resolving a separate federal investigation into the safety of the 737 MAX following fatal plane crashes reported in 2018 and 2019. would be helpful.