A federal judge in Texas has dismissed the US government’s criminal case against Boeing over two 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people, approving a Justice Department request to drop the charge in exchange for additional penalties and safety reforms.
The decision by US District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth ends a case surrounding the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in Ethiopia in 2019. The disasters led to a worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX for nearly two years and triggered multiple investigations into Boeing’s design and certification process.
Under the revised agreement, Boeing will direct more than $1.1 billion toward fines, compensation for victims’ families, and internal programs intended to strengthen safety and quality control. The company will also be allowed to choose its own compliance adviser rather than operate under an independent monitor appointed by the court.
Judge O’Connor acknowledged in his order that the settlement “fails to secure the necessary accountability to ensure the safety of the flying public,” but said the court could not block prosecutors from dismissing the case once they met the requirements of federal law. The Justice Department said a jury trial could have produced an uncertain result and that the new settlement provides a faster, enforceable resolution.
Victims’ families react
Families of crash victims condemned the ruling. In a statement released by lawyers representing dozens of the families, they wrote: “Judge O’Connor’s decision to grant the DOJ’s request to dismiss this case feels like the justice system turning its back on us, the victims’ families. We have only been consistent in demanding a day in court, the public against Boeing. We have not gotten that. Our pursuit for justice isn’t about vengeance—it’s about truth, transparency, and public safety. When a company’s failures cost so many lives, ending a criminal case behind closed doors erodes trust and weakens deterrence for every passenger who steps onto a plane.”
Among those speaking out was Paul Njoroge, a Canadian man who lost his wife, three young children, and mother-in-law in the Ethiopian Airlines crash. He said ending the case without a public trial “erodes trust and weakens deterrence for every passenger who steps onto a plane.”
The government’s investigation focused on Boeing’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a software feature added to the 737 MAX to counteract aerodynamic changes from the jet’s larger engines. MCAS automatically pushed the airplane’s nose downward if sensors detected a steep climb. The system relied on data from a single sensor, and investigators later found that erroneous readings triggered it on both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights, repeatedly forcing the aircraft into dives that the pilots could not overcome.
Civil lawsuits continue
Prosecutors alleged that Boeing misled the Federal Aviation Administration about how MCAS worked and how pilots should be trained to handle it. In 2021, Boeing reached a deferred-prosecution agreement after admitting employees had misinformed regulators. When the Justice Department later said Boeing had violated that agreement, the renewed case led to this week’s settlement.
Boeing said it will comply with the new terms and continue internal efforts to strengthen its safety, quality, and compliance systems.
The outcome spares Boeing a criminal conviction that could have threatened its eligibility for US government contracts and added to its legal exposure. Civil lawsuits continue, including a trial now underway in Chicago federal court, where a jury will decide compensation for one of the Ethiopian Airlines victims’ families.
