Boeing, a huge airplane company, is about to make a deal with the U.S. government that means they won’t be punished for two terrible airplane crashes. These crashes involved the 737 Max planes and sadly, they caused the deaths of hundreds of people. The U.S. Department of Justice announced this agreement.
With this deal, Boeing can skip a trial that could have labeled them as a bad company (a felon). As part of the agreement, Boeing will admit that they didn’t cooperate with federal aviation officials and will pay a hefty fine of $1.1 billion.
The two crashes happened in 2018 and 2019, and they resulted in the loss of 346 lives. The government talked to the families of the victims, and many of them either agreed with the deal or didn’t oppose it. However, some family members are really upset about this agreement.
Javier de Luis, who lost his sister in the 2019 crash in Ethiopia, shared his anger about the decision. He said that this deal sends a bad message to companies, suggesting they don’t need to worry about making their products safe. “Even if you kill people, just pay a small fine and move on,” he said.
Paul Cassell, a lawyer for the victims' families, hopes the court will reject this deal. He believes it’s wrong for such a serious situation, calling it “unprecedented” and “obviously wrong.”
Boeing didn’t have much to say when asked for comments. The U.S. Department of Justice also kept quiet.
In a court document, the Justice Department said Boeing will admit to “conspiracy to obstruct and impede” an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and will pay over $1.1 billion in fines. They will also need to keep improving their programs to prevent fraud and ensure ethics.
After the 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight, all 737 Max planes were grounded for almost two years. Tragically, all 157 people on that flight lost their lives. Just five months earlier, another 737 Max crashed in Indonesia, killing 189 people. Both crashes were linked to problems with the flight control systems.
The crashes led to fraud charges against a former Boeing pilot, but he was found not guilty in 2022. In 2021, Boeing made a deal with prosecutors to avoid prosecution for three years. However, the government said Boeing broke that deal by not following through on a program meant to catch legal violations.
Just two days before the deal was supposed to end, a door panel fell off a 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines.
Last year, Boeing tried to plead guilty to criminal fraud to avoid going to trial, but a judge rejected that agreement. The judge was worried that race-based policies might affect who would oversee Boeing’s compliance.
The Justice Department plans to ask the court to dismiss the case once the agreement is finalized. They believe this deal will ensure accountability and provide benefits from Boeing right away, while avoiding the risks of a trial.
Many families of the victims have been pushing for a public trial and want former Boeing officials to be held accountable. They are not happy about the idea of dropping the criminal case.
“It’s a sweetheart deal,” said Robert Clifford, a lawyer for the victims' families.
Catherine Berthet, a mother from France who lost her 28-year-old daughter in the Ethiopian crash, expressed her shock at the government’s decision. She feels that the government is too trusting of Boeing, allowing them to escape serious consequences for the deaths of 346 people, including her beloved daughter Camille.