Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP / Getty Images
The FBI is sending letters to passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 informing them that they may be a "victim of a crime." Flight 1282 was traveling from Oregon to California on January 5 when a door panel blew out midair, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
The incident sparked multiple investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Now, the FBI has opened up a criminal investigation into the matter.
"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.
The letter said that passengers will receive updates on the case via email or through the FBI's victim notification system.
The letter was shared with multiple news organizations by attorney Mark Lindquist, who is representing some of the 171 passengers on Flight 1282.
"My clients and I welcome the DOJ investigation," Lindquist told CNN, "We want accountability. We want answers. We want safer Boeing planes. And a DOJ investigation helps advance our goals."