NTSB expands Boeing probe following Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 emergency

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has initiated a new series of interviews with Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials this week as part of its ongoing investigation into the January in-flight emergency involving an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy confirmed that investigators returned to Boeing’s 737 plant in Renton, Washington, for additional interviews, aiming to verify documentation of other instances where a door plug was opened and closed.

“We are looking at other instances where a door plug was opened and closed to make sure that those records are available,” Homendy stated during a US Senate hearing.

She said that the investigation focuses on the procedural aspects rather than individual personnel.

“This isn’t a gotcha on anybody,” she clarified.

The incident in question occurred on January 5 when the door plug panel of an Alaska Airlines flight detached shortly after departing from Portland, Oregon.

Following this incident, the FAA grounded the 737 MAX 9 for several weeks, halted Boeing’s production increase of the MAX series, and mandated Boeing to rectify systemic quality-control issues within 90 days.

Boeing, whose stock declined by 2 per cent on the day of the announcement, refrained from commenting on the ongoing interviews.

Previously, Boeing had indicated that necessary documents detailing the removal of the door plug from the Alaska Airlines plane involved in the emergency were never generated.

Homendy highlighted the challenge in identifying the personnel who worked on the specific Boeing 737 MAX 9 involved in the emergency, stating, “This work occurred in September. They move a lot of planes through that factory,” expressing concerns about missing records.

The NTSB’s inquiry is not limited to the immediate incident but extends to assessing Boeing’s safety culture.

Homendy disclosed that the NTSB might conduct a safety culture survey at Boeing and acknowledged Boeing’s cooperation in the investigation.

“They want to know and they want to fix it,” she noted.

Earlier, in March, Homendy had criticised Boeing for its lack of transparency and failure to disclose certain documents, including information on the door plug’s handling and the names of 25 workers on the door crew in Renton.

However, after her remarks, Boeing provided the requested information and expressed its willingness to cooperate.

The NTSB is scheduled to hold a public investigative hearing on August 6-7 to further delve into the Alaska Airlines incident.

The hearing is expected to feature testimonies from Boeing employees, fuselage manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems, and representatives from Alaska Airlines.

(With inputs from Reuters)