Mubasher: The US Department of Transportation officials are investigating into whether there were lapses in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval of Boeing planes involved in recent crashes, a news report said.

The investigation was launched after Lion Air-operated Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed into the Java Sea last October, killing 189 people, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the probe.

Last week, a second Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane operated by the Ethiopian Airlines crashed shortly after taking off, killing all 157 people on board.

Initial data retrieved from the plan’s flight recorder indicated “a clear similarity” with the Indonesian incident, Ethiopian transport minister Dagmawit Moges said.

A broad subpoena, believed to involve a prosecutor from the Department of Justice, was issued by a grand jury in Washington one day after the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash to at least one person involved in the development of the Boeing 737 MAX, the WSJ said.

The subpoena reportedly would seek relevant documents, including emails and other messages, the newspaper said.