The Department of Justice has confirmed it may drop criminal charges against Boeing over the deadly crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in 2018 and 2019 that killed a total of 346 people. According to The Seattle Times, prosecutors filed documents on Saturday saying they were considering a deal under which Boeing would avoid prosecution on criminal fraud charges and instead pay fines and establish a compensation fund for the families. It would also improve its compliance and hire an independent consultant to oversee the changes. The so-called “nonprosecution agreement” has outraged families of victims of the two crashes.
“Dismissing the case would dishonor the memories of 346 victims,” said Paul Casell, one of the lawyers representing the victims. The DOJ has said it will consider statements from the families in its decision on whether to proceed with the case or accept the deal. The case is set to be heard in Texas starting June 23. The charges stem from allegations Boeing lied to the FAA about the impact of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) it added to the MAX to alter its flight characteristics without pilot input. MCAS was cited as a factor in both crashes.
