NTSB Hearing Over 737 MAX Panel Blowout Begins

DALLAS — A pivotal National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing has commenced with a sharp focus on the January 5 Alaska Airlines (AS) incident where a panel blew out mid-flight on a Boeing 737-9.

This two-day event, chaired by the NTSB head Jennifer Homendy, could potentially unearth crucial details about the accident, with significant implications for Boeing's legal standing.

The "accident" has triggered multiple ongoing investigations into Boeing. The FBI has suggested to passengers that they might be victims of a crime, and the Justice Department is pushing for Boeing to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge.

The AS Flight 1282 blowout and rapid decompression occurred shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, with the Boeing 737-9 flying at 16,000 feet. Despite the terrifying experience for passengers, there were no severe injuries, and the pilots managed to land the aircraft safely.

According to preliminary findings, the panel, known as a door plug and more technically, a mid-exit door (MED), became detached due to missing bolts following a repair at a Boeing facility. during the hearing, the parties mulled the idea that Spirit AeroSystems, which was also present, did not ship the left-side MED to Boeing with the bolts installed.

However, Boeing acknowledged that Spirit did install the fasteners in question in Wichita, claiming there was no proof Spirit took the bolts out prior to Boeing receiving the 1282 fuselage. The fact that Boeing did not re-install the bolts during repairs is at the crux of the issue, as it point to issues of acceptance of non-conformance as it pertains to production quality and engineering standards.

Additionally, the lack of proper maintenance documentation has raised concerns from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the NTSB, and Boeing officials will face intense questioning about this oversight.

The NTSB Hearing

While the hearing is "not adversarial" but investigative, the tension between NTSB and Boeing will be present, meaning the investigative board will grill Boeing to uncover more detail regarding its manufacturing processes. As a result, Boeing representatives have been subpoenaed and stripped of their usual right to ask questions during the hearing.

Former NTSB member John Goglia suggests that the board aims to address knowledge gaps and put Boeing's failures on record. The hearing will feature testimonies from key figures, including Elizabeth Lund, Boeing's new senior vice president of quality, and representatives from Spirit AeroSystems, which manufactures fuselages for Max jets.

The NTSB's agenda covers various aspects, including manufacturing processes, inspections, and the FAA's oversight of Boeing. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker has acknowledged past shortcomings in the agency's supervision of the company and promised changes.

The hearing will see union representatives, manufacturers and suppliers speak their mind on what went on in the Boeing 737-9 production line. We will also hear accounts of the pilots and crew members involved in the January 5th accident and of the chaotic moments when they were trying to navigate the plane to a safe altitude under 10,000 feet once the cabin decompression took place.

At the end of July, Boeing announced that its Board of Directors has elected Robert K. "Kelly" Ortberg as new president and CEO, effective August 8, 2024, immediately after the NTSB hearing concludes. Ortberg, who comes from a mechanical engineering background, succeeds Dave Calhoun, Boeing's president and CEO since January 2020.

As a result of the two pre-pandemic MAX crashes, productions quagmires and the fallout of Flight 1282, Boeing's financial woes persist. the American aerospace manufacturer reported a second-quarter loss of more than US$1.4 billion due to declining revenue, with the company hemorrhaging over US$25 billion since early 2019.

Damaging Testimonies

While NTSB hearing testimony is not admissible in court, lawyers representing victims in lawsuits against Boeing will closely monitor the proceedings.

The information revealed could strengthen the case against Boeing and influence how jurors perceivethe company's actions.

Day 1 revelations include the following:

• The NTSB and Boeing have been unable to determine who removed the door from the 737-9 aircraft involved in a recent incident.
• A Boeing executive confirmed that surveillance footage from the Renton facility was automatically overwritten after 30 days.
• New testimony reveals that the AS crew feared passengers had been lost during the mid-air blowout.
• According to transcripts from Boeing workers, there was constant pressure to work quickly, and no specialized training was provided for handling door plugs as opposed to regular doors.
• One worker likened the frequency of door replacements to changing underwear, while another emphasized that planes arrived for maintenance in poor condition on a daily basis.

As the hearing unfolds, all eyes will be on Boeing, which will continue to face tough questions about its safety practices and the events leading up to the mid-flight incident.

Stay tune to Airways for new developments from the NTSB investigative hearing.