A federal judge in Fort Worth dismissed on Thursday a criminal conspiracy charge against Boeing over two 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019. The company agreed to pay or invest $1.1 billion in fines, victim family compensations, and safety improvements. While some victims' families support the deal, others oppose it and demand a trial.
The case against Boeing dates back to January 2021, when the U.S. Department of Justice charged the company with defrauding the government by misleading regulators about a flight control system on the 737 Max. This software, known as MCAS, was implicated in the two fatal accidents: one involving Lion Air off Indonesia's coast in October 2018 and another with Ethiopian Airlines near Addis Ababa in March 2019, less than five months apart. In both, the system repeatedly pushed the plane's nose down based on faulty sensor readings, and pilots could not regain control, killing everyone on board.
After the second crash, 737 Max planes were grounded worldwide for 20 months. Investigators found Boeing failed to inform the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about software changes before setting pilot training requirements and certifying the aircraft.
District Judge Reed O’Connor previously rejected a deal that would have required Boeing to plead guilty. In an emotional September 3 hearing, more than a dozen victims' family members, including some from Europe and Africa, urged the judge to reject the new agreement and appoint a special prosecutor. Catherine Berthet, whose daughter Camille Geoffroy died in the Ethiopian flight, said: “Do not let Boeing buy its freedom”.
The Justice Department believes the current deal better serves the public interest than a trial, which risks a jury acquitting the company. Families of 110 victims support or do not oppose it, but nearly 100 do. Boeing issued a statement affirming its commitment to the agreement and to efforts strengthening safety, quality, and legal compliance programs.