
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has harshly criticized Boeing’s safety culture and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) oversight after a midair cabin panel blowout on a new 737 MAX 9 flight in January 2024. The incident, which occurred on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, resulted in a major crisis for the planemaker.
According to the NTSB, Boeing failed to provide adequate training, guidance, and oversight to prevent the accident. The board’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, said that the incident was entirely avoidable, given that Boeing had identified the unauthorised production issue in numerous internal audits, reports, and other forums for at least 10 years.
“The safety deficiencies that led to this accident should have been evident to Boeing and to the FAA,” Homendy said. “It’s nothing short of a miracle that no one died or sustained serious physical injuries.”
The NTSB also found that Boeing’s on-the-job training was lacking, and the planemaker is working on a design enhancement to ensure the door plug cannot be closed until it is firmly secured. The FAA has fundamentally changed how it oversees Boeing since the accident and will continue aggressive oversight to ensure Boeing fixes its systemic production-quality issues.
Boeing’s damaged reputation has led to a grounding of the MAX 9 for two weeks and a production cap of 38 planes per month by the FAA, which still remains in place. The planemaker has also faced a criminal investigation and agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
The incident has raised concerns about Boeing’s safety culture and the FAA’s oversight. “While Boeing is making progress, we will not lift the 737 monthly production cap until we are confident the company can maintain safety and quality while making more aircraft,” the FAA said.
The NTSB’s investigation has also revealed that Boeing created no paperwork for the removal or re-installation of the 737 MAX 9 door plug during production, and still does not know which employees were involved. This lack of documentation and accountability has raised further questions about Boeing’s safety protocols.
New Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg faces significant challenges in addressing these issues and restoring confidence in the company’s safety culture. As Homendy noted, “He has his work cut out for him, a lot of challenges to address, and that’s going to take time.” Boeing has expressed regret over the accident and is working to strengthen safety and quality across its operations.