Boeing has recently come under scrutiny for an incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight, which has been attributed to missing paperwork. The incident occurred in January 2024 when a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft during a flight from Portland, Oregon. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing, and although no serious injuries were reported, the event raised serious questions about Boeing's safety protocols and documentation practices.
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been investigating the incident and has faced challenges due to missing paperwork from Boeing. The company has admitted that it cannot find records for work done on the door panel that blew out of the plane. According to a letter sent by Boeing to Congress, the company's "working hypothesis" is that the records about the panel's removal and reinstallation on the 737 MAX final assembly line in Renton, Washington, were never created. The NTSB has criticized Boeing for its lack of cooperation in the investigation. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy testified before a Senate committee that Boeing had repeatedly refused to identify employees who work on door panels on Boeing 737s and failed to provide documentation about a repair job that included removing and reinstalling the door panel.
The missing paperwork has hindered the NTSB's investigation into how the door plug blew off the plane. In a preliminary report, the NTSB stated that four bolts that help keep the door plug in place were missing after the panel was removed so workers could repair nearby damaged rivets last September. The NTSB still does not know who removed and replaced the door panel. Boeing has faced increased scrutiny following the incident, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently giving Boeing 90 days to say how it will respond to quality-control issues raised by the agency and a panel of industry and government experts. The FAA has also ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing jets installed with the same panel as the one that blew off the Alaska Airlines flight.
In response to the incident, Boeing has acknowledged its responsibility for the blowout and stated that it is working to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future. However, the company's admission of missing paperwork has raised concerns about its safety protocols and documentation practices. The incident has also led to increased pressure on Boeing, with the Department of Justice opening a criminal probe into the company's actions. Boeing has been accused of withholding key information from the NTSB and violating its party status agreement with the agency by sharing non-public investigative information with the media. The NTSB has imposed sanctions on Boeing for its actions, and the company will retain its party status in the investigation but will no longer have access to the investigative information the NTSB produces. Boeing has also been subpoenaed to appear in an investigative hearing into the case scheduled for August 6 and 7 in Washington, D.C. The incident has highlighted the importance of proper documentation and safety protocols in the aviation industry. Boeing's admission of missing paperwork has raised serious questions about its safety practices and the effectiveness of its quality-control measures. The company will need to address these concerns and demonstrate its commitment to ensuring the safety of its aircraft and passengers in the future.