Justice Department probes Alaska Airlines after door panel mishap

The root cause of the incident, which garnered widespread concern in the U.S., remains elusive. According to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report, the incident was attributed to the absence of four screws that should have secured the door panel, leading to its detachment. As the door panel exploded at roughly 16,400 feet altitude, a window and part of the fuselage cladding also broke away and plummeted to the ground shortly after takeoff.

The ongoing U.S. investigation into this matter could spell broader implications. A six-week FAA audit examining production and quality control processes at Boeing and its supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, unearthed numerous instances of probable non-compliance with production quality requirements, per the Financial Times.

This incident with an Alaska Airlines aircraft also poses potential setbacks for Boeing, occurring just days before the end of a crucial three-year period monitoring Boeing’s handling of the 737 Max series aircraft's tendencies for uncontrolled dives.

Despite the safe landing of the Alaska Airlines flight in January, passengers experienced what could only be described as a terrifying ordeal. The considerable damage to the plane was made palpably clear in a photograph shared by a passenger, showing a gaping hole in the aircraft's side close to the seating area.

"We heard a loud bang from the back, on the left side. Then a whistling sound followed, and all the oxygen masks dropped down immediately, and everyone put theirs on," recounted one of the passengers, highlighting the tension aboard the flight.