Boeing has agreed to a $243.6 million plea deal to avoid a criminal trial over two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max planes. These crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people combined. As part of the deal, Boeing will admit to criminal fraud related to misleading regulators about the safety of the aircraft. They must also invest over $455 million in safety programs and have a monitor oversee their procedures for three years. Families of the crash victims are pushing back, arguing that Boeing executives should face criminal prosecution for their role in the tragedies. The plea deal awaits approval from a federal judge, who previously criticized Boeing’s actions, potentially impacting its outcome significantly.

Boeing executives have accepted a $243.6 million plea deal to avoid a criminal trial over two fatal 737 Max crashes.

Dailymail reported that, according to the agreement Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge coming from the catastrophic crashes in Indonesia in October 2018 and Ethiopia less than five months later, which killed a combined 346 people.

Boeing must also pay the large penalties, invest at least $455 million in compliance and safety programs, and have an independent monitor review the company’s safety and quality standards for three years.

The agreement comes just days after federal prosecutors gave Boeing the option of pleading guilty and paying a fine or going to trial on felony criminal allegations of conspiracy to cheat the US.

They claim that the aerospace company duped authorities who authorized the aircraft and pilot training standards.

The plea agreement must now be accepted by a federal judge in Texas before it can take effect.

The court, who has already slammed what he called ‘Boeing’s gross criminal conduct,’ might then approve the plea offer or reject it outright, prompting the Justice Department to begin new negotiations with Boeing.

Even yet, the plea agreement would only address the company’s malfeasance before the crashes, in which all passengers and crew members died.

It would not provide immunity to the business for earlier mishaps, such as a panel that flew off a Max airliner during an Alaska Airlines flight in January and would not cover any current or past Boeing personnel, only the company itself.

Attorneys for some of the crash victims have suggested they will persuade the judge to reject the accord.

‘This sweetheart deal fails to recognize that because of Boeing’s conspiracy, 346 people died,’ said attorney Paul Cassell.

‘Through crafty lawyering between Boeing and [the] DOJ, the deadly consequences of Boeing’s crimes are hidden.’

The relatives have advocated for a criminal prosecution, claiming that it will show Boeing executives knew they were fooling the Federal Aviation Administration about their flawed flight-control system.

They also want the Justice Department to prosecute the officials.

‘Boeing has paid fines many a time and it doesn’t seem to make any change,’ said Ike Riffel, of Redding, California, whose sons died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

‘When people start going to prison, that’s when you are going to see a change.’ 

In the two incidents, in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019, MCAS automatically pointed the plane’s nose down based on incorrect sensor readings, leaving pilots unable to restore control.

On October 29, 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX carrying Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 passengers and crew.

The pilot was unaware that the program may push the plane’s nose down.

Five months later, on March 10, 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane that operated Ethiopian Flight 302 crashed six minutes after takeoff in the town of Bishoftu in Ethiopia, killing all 157 persons on board.

Pilots on that plane were aware of the software problem but were unable to operate the aircraft when the program activated based on data from a malfunctioning sensor.

However, Boeing minimized the relevance of the system and did not overhaul it until after the second tragedy.

In 2021, the Justice Department investigated Boeing and charged the firm with tricking FAA regulators about software that did not exist in older 737s, as well as how much training pilots would require to fly the plane safely.

Following covert discussions, the government agreed not to pursue Boeing on charges of defrauding the United States by misleading regulators who authorized the plane.

In exchange, the corporation paid $2.5 billion, which included a $243.6 million fine, a $500 million victim compensation fund, and approximately $1.8 billion to airlines that had their Max jets grounded.

However, in May, officials found that the corporation violated the agreement, paving the way for criminal proceedings.

Glenn Leon, head of the Justice Department’s criminal division’s fraud unit, stated in a letter filed in Texas federal court that Boeing failed to implement reforms to prevent it from violating federal anti-fraud statutes, which was a condition of the 2021 settlement.

According to NBC, the government believes Boeing failed to ‘create, administer, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of U.S. fraud laws’.

Lawmakers have subsequently produced a report containing explosive claims from a Boeing quality insurance inspector, Sam Mohawk, who claimed that the business inserted faulty equipment onto planes and that he was later directed by his bosses to conceal the evidence from federal regulators.

Boeing officials, however, refuted the allegations.

‘We believe that we have honored the terms of that agreement, and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this issue,’ a spokesperson said at the time.

‘As we do so, we will engage with the Department with the utmost transparency, as we have throughout the entire term of the agreement, including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident.’

During a recent Senate session, Boeing CEO David Calhoun apologized to the families of the crash victims.

‘I’m deeply sorry… my whole team at Boeing, everybody worldwide past and present,’ Calhoun said.

Recently GreatGameIndia reported that Boeing faces criminal fraud charges over 737 Max crashes, with a choice to plead guilty or face trial, alongside a $4.7 billion acquisition amid ongoing safety and leadership challenges.