The US agency severely criticized Boeing’s commitment to safety and the inadequate supervision by the FAA.
Boeing was found to have fallen short in providing sufficient training, guidance, and oversight to prevent a midair cabin panel blowout of a new 737 MAX 9 flight in January 2024, which sent the aircraft manufacturer into a significant crisis, according to the United States National Transportation Safety Board.
The board criticized Boeing’s safety culture and its failure to secure four essential bolts on a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9 during production, alongside the ineffective oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy stated at a board meeting that the incident was entirely preventable, because the planemaker should have addressed the unauthorized production issues that had been identified in many internal audits and reports over at least a decade.
“The safety issues that caused this incident should have been obvious to Boeing and the FAA,” Homendy remarked. “It’s remarkable that there were no fatalities or serious injuries.”
Boeing’s on-the-job training was lacking, the NTSB said, noting that the planemaker is working on a design enhancement that will ensure the door plug cannot be closed until it is securely fastened.
The accident prompted the US Department of Justice to launch a criminal investigation and to declare that Boeing was in breach of its 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. CEO Dave Calhoun announced his intention to step down in the months following the midair panel blowout.
Homendy praised new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, stressing, “He has a lot to do; he must address numerous challenges, and that will take time.”
Boeing expressed regret for the accident and said it is continuously working on enhancing safety and quality across its operations.
The FAA stated that it has changed how it oversees Boeing following the Alaska Airlines door-plug accident and will maintain a strict oversight to ensure that Boeing rectifies its systemic production and quality issues.
Damaged Reputation
The incident significantly damaged Boeing’s reputation and resulted in a grounding of the MAX 9 for two weeks and a production cap of 38 planes per month by the FAA, which remains in effect.
“While Boeing is making progress, we will not lift the production cap until we are assured that the company can maintain safety and quality while producing more aircraft,” the FAA added.
Boeing did not create any records for the removal and re-installation of the 737 MAX 9 door plug during production and still does not know which employees were involved, the NTSB reported on Tuesday.
Then-FAA administrator Michael Whitaker admitted in June 2024 that the agency had been “too hands-off” in overseeing Boeing and has since increased the number of inspectors at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, the MAX fuselage manufacturer’s factories.
Boeing agreed in July to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. However, it reached a deal with the US Justice Department last month to avoid pleading guilty and to halt any external oversight.
The Justice Department has requested a judge to approve this deal, which will permit Boeing to avoid pleading guilty and operational oversight by an independent monitor.
Recently, Boeing’s issues resurfaced when an Air India flight crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad, India, resulting in the deaths of nearly everyone on board. The flight was operated on a nearly 12-year-old Dreamliner, and investigations into that crash are currently underway.
