The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Boeing have been unable to determine who removed a critical door plug from an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, which led to an in-flight emergency in January. This revelation was made public by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy during a press conference on Tuesday.
The missing door plug was discovered during an investigation into the emergency incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. The door plug, displayed at the NTSB materials lab in Washington, has become a focal point of the investigation.
“The safety culture needs a lot of work at Boeing,” Homendy stated, emphasizing the company’s internal issues. “There’s a significant lack of trust within the workforce, and that is evident from our interviews and evidence collected.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also expressed concerns about Boeing’s safety practices, mandating improvements before the agency will permit an increase in 737 MAX production.
The investigation revealed that the 737 MAX 9 in question was missing four key bolts. Boeing admitted that necessary documents detailing the door plug’s removal during production were never created. The company has since identified 52 similar cases of door plug removals since 2019.
Elizabeth Lund, Boeing’s Senior Vice President for Quality, announced new measures to prevent such incidents. “We have implemented bright blue and yellow signs on the door plugs that clearly state ‘Do not open,’ with added redundancies to ensure compliance,” Lund explained.
However, the NTSB’s investigation has faced hurdles. The door plug team manager has been on medical leave and unavailable for interviews. Homendy also highlighted concerns about the consistency of written statements from Boeing employees, noting that many ended with the phrase, I have no knowledge.
“This raises questions about the reliability of the information we are receiving,”Homendy said.
Boeing has not issued an immediate comment on the matter. As the investigation continues, both the NTSB and FAA are pressing Boeing to address these safety concerns urgently.
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