The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner blowout that left a gaping hole on an Alaska Airlines plane this January, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. An Associated Press dispatch to The Globe says that investigators have contacted some passengers and crew -- including pilots and flight attendants -- who were on the Jan. 5 flight. The Boeing plane used by Alaska Airlines suffered the blowout seven minutes after takeoff from Portland, Ore., forcing an emergency landing. Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since the incident, when a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Max 9 jet. There were no serious injuries. "In an event like this, it's normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation," Alaska Airlines said in a statement. "We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation." The Journal reported that the investigation would assist the department's review of whether Boeing complied with a previous settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft after two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.