An enormous amount of records that have been made public by US transportation safety inspectors looking into a mid-air disaster on a Boeing 737 Max 9 of Alaska Airline have revealed the chaos that occurred after an unused door blew out. This occurred concurrently with the start of a two-day National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing regarding the Alaska Airlines aircraft that occurred on January 5.
Boeing, facing its second major crisis in recent years, has pledged to implement design modifications to prevent future occurrences. The explosive decompression that occurred after the panel’s detachment in midair is vividly depicted in the more than 3,000 pages of investigating records that have been made public.
The co-pilot of the flight described the harrowing experience: “There was a loud bang, my ears popped, and my head was thrust into the head-up display. My headset was nearly dislodged.”
“It was chaos,” the co-pilot recounted.
A flight attendant added, “There was an explosive bang and a rush of air. It felt like the door burst open. Masks dropped, and I saw the galley curtain being sucked towards the cabin.”
The crew’s identities have been redacted in the documents.
During the hearing, Boeing executives were scrutinized regarding the aircraft’s manufacturing processes and the lack of documentation identifying who had worked on the door plug prior to the blowout. A preliminary NTSB report revealed that after a repair at a Boeing facility, four bolts that should have secured the panel were missing.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy noted, “The safety culture needs significant improvement,” underscoring the importance of Boeing addressing these important issues.
Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the NTSB, observed, “The safety culture needs significant improvement,” highlighting the need for Boeing to address these important issues.
Who took the time to take out and put back in the door plug is still being looked into. Lund did note that two employees are probably on paid administrative leave at the moment.
This incident marks another significant setback for Boeing’s reputation, leading to a two-week global grounding of Max 9 planes, a halt in production increases, an FBI investigation, and a management overhaul. Boeing recently declared that it would enter a guilty plea to a fraud charge pertaining to two tragic crashes of 737 Max aircraft that occurred more than five years ago.
Additionally, Boeing disclosed a $1.4 billion deficit from April to June. The corporation has responded by appointing veteran of the aerospace sector and engineer Robert K. ‘Kelly’ Ortberg as its new CEO.
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