The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is back at it again, diving deeper into Boeing's 737 MAX 9 issues! This week, investigators are re-interviewing Boeing and FAA personnel about the mysterious door plug that caused an in-flight emergency earlier this year. 😱✈️
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy revealed that investigators returned to Boeing's 737 plant in Renton, Washington, to dig up more info. \"We're checking out other times the door plug was opened and closed to make sure everything's on record,\" she said. Sounds like a real-life detective story, right? 🕵️♀️🔎
Apparently, Boeing thinks the required documents about removing the door plug on the Alaska Airlines plane involved were never created. Missing records? Not cool! 😬📄
Homendy mentioned that they still don't know who worked on that particular 737 MAX 9. \"This happened back in September, and they move a lot of planes through that factory,\" she explained. \"Our biggest concern is the missing records.\" 📝🚫
But don't worry, it's not about pointing fingers. \"This isn't a gotcha on anybody,\" Homendy assured. The focus is on the process, not the people.
Back in January, things got wild when the door plug panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. Talk about a scary flight! 😨✈️
Now, the NTSB is also looking into Boeing's safety culture. They might even conduct a safety culture survey at the company. Homendy says Boeing is cooperating and wants to fix what's wrong. \"They want to know, and they want to fix it,\" she said. 👍
After the incident, the FAA grounded the MAX 9 for several weeks, stopped Boeing from ramping up production, and told them to address some serious quality-control issues within 90 days. Yikes! 😲
Previously, the NTSB said four key bolts were missing from the door plug that blew out. No wonder there were problems! 🔩❌
The Justice Department even opened a criminal investigation into the emergency. This is getting intense! 🕵️♂️⚖️
Homendy had criticized Boeing in March for not cooperating fully, but since then, Boeing has been stepping up and providing what the NTSB needs.
Mark your calendars: the NTSB is planning a public investigative hearing on the Alaska Airlines incident on August 6-7. Employees from Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, and Alaska Airlines will be there to give their testimonies. Stay tuned! 📅👀
Reference(s):
NTSB conducting new interviews on Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug probe
cgtn.com
