US transportation safety officials are delving into a significant mid-air emergency involving a Boeing 737 Max 9, releasing thousands of pages of documents that detail the chaotic aftermath of an unused door’s blowout. The incident, which occurred on January 5th on an Alaska Airlines flight, has prompted a two-day hearing by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The documents, exceeding 3,000 pages, include harrowing accounts from the plane’s crew describing the violent decompression experienced when the panel detached mid-flight. A co-pilot recounted the experience, stating, “There was a loud bang, ears popping, my head got pushed up into the [head-up display] and my headset got pushed, not off my head, but up almost off my head.” The chaotic scene was further described by a flight attendant who observed, “There was a really loud bang and lots of whooshing air, like the door burst open,” noting that “masks came down” and the galley curtain was “sucked towards the cabin.”
The hearing has brought Boeing under scrutiny as executives faced intense questioning regarding the aircraft’s manufacturing and the handling of the door plug involved in the incident. Preliminary findings from the NTSB indicated that the panel, which had undergone repairs at a Boeing facility, was missing four bolts critical for its secure installation.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy criticized Boeing’s safety culture, asserting, “The safety culture needs a lot of work,” and emphasizing the need for Boeing to address these issues. In response, Boeing’s Senior Vice President for Quality, Elizabeth Lund, stated that the company is implementing design changes to ensure that the door plug cannot be closed if it is not firmly secured.
The investigation has yet to determine who was responsible for the removal and reinstallation of the door plug. However, two workers who might have been involved are currently on paid administrative leave.
The incident has been a significant blow to Boeing’s reputation, leading to the grounding of Max 9 planes globally for two weeks and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe. The company has faced a series of setbacks, including a recent admission of guilt to fraud charges related to fatal crashes of two 737 Max planes over five years ago. Boeing also reported a $1.4 billion loss for the second quarter of the year and announced the appointment of aerospace veteran Robert K. Ortberg as its new CEO.
This latest crisis marks Boeing’s second major challenge in recent years, underscoring the ongoing scrutiny and challenges facing the aviation giant.
