07:47 AM EDT, 03/11/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Boeing ( BA ) told US Sen. Maria Cantwell in a letter late Friday documents required for removing key parts during door plug production on a 737 MAX 9 appear to have never been created, Reuters reported Saturday.

Boeing ( BA ) wrote in the letter, seen by Reuters, they have not found such documentation after looking extensively and their working hypothesis was "the documents required by our processes were not created when the door plug was opened," Reuters said.

Boeing ( BA ) confirmed Monday to MT Newswires it sent a letter to Cantwell's office. The office of the senator did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

The National Transportation Safety Board said previously the door plug that blew out of an Alaska Airlines (ALK) 737 MAX 9 jet on Jan. 5 appeared to be missing four key bolts, according to media reports.

Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday the Justice Department is opening a criminal investigation into the incident and has reached out to some passengers and crew on the Jan. 5 flight, in which no one was injured. Boeing ( BA ) declined to comment to MT Newswires regarding the reported investigation. Alaska Airlines and the US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MT Newswires.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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