Boeing nears deal to avoid 737 MAX crash prosecution

Boeing has reached a tentative nonprosecution agreement with US prosecutors in a fraud case stemming from two fatal 737 MAX plane crashes that killed 346 people, people familiar with the matter said.

- Reuters

NEW YORK:

The agreement would forestall a June 23 trial date the planemaker faces on a charge it misled US regulators about a crucial flight control system on the 737 MAX, its strongest-selling jet. It would require a judge's approval.

The agreement, if approved, would be a blow to families who lost relatives in the crashes and have pressed prosecutors to take the US planemaker to trial.

Boeing is no longer agreeing to plead guilty in the case, prosecutors told family members of crash victims during a meeting on Friday, according to sources.