In a highly unusual reprimand, U.S. accident investigators accused Boeing officials of not cooperating with an investigation into how a panel flew off a 737 Max 9 plane in January.
Boeing fired back hours later on Wednesday, later saying it had provided the National Transportation Safety Board with the names of employees who may have performed critical work on the plane. The aircraft manufacturer also stressed that it is doing everything it can to support exploration.
But by the end of the day, both sides were hinting at surprising new details about what led to the January 5 accident. It was possible that Boeing had no documentation explaining how the plane was missing a bolt that could have prevented the accident at the factory. It was an accident in the first place.
“Regarding the documentation, if the removal of the door plug was not documented, there would be no documentation to share,” Boeing said in a statement.
A dramatic day of testimony at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing capped off a retaliation of retaliation. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the board has not received all the documents and information it had requested from Boeing.
“It's unreasonable that we haven't had it after two months,” Homendy told the committee.
The NTSB said on February 6 that forensic evidence and work photos of the nearly new plane showed that four bolts that hold the fuselage panels in place were not installed on the Max 9 at the factory. announced. An Alaska Airlines jet suffered an explosive decompression over Portland, Oregon, after a panel, or door plug, covering an unused emergency exit flew off during the flight.
Homendy said Wednesday that NTSB investigators have not determined the cause of the manufacturing error or other details of the work.
“We deeply respect the NTSB and the critical role it plays in aviation safety,” Boeing said in a statement. “In the immediate aftermath of the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident, we have worked proactively and transparently to fully support the NTSB's investigation.”
Pledge of transparency
Homendy's criticism contradicts pledges of transparency by the U.S. aircraft manufacturer, which faces multiple investigations and scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers and customers in the wake of the Alaska Airlines flight disaster. Boeing and its CEO, Dave Calhoun, have repeatedly vowed to fully cooperate with NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration investigators.
After the Senate adjourned, the Safety Committee voted to hold an investigative hearing into the safety issues raised by the accident, spokesman Eric Weiss said. Such hearings could also draw more attention to the actions of airplane manufacturers.
Homendy said authorities have not been able to obtain documentation from Boeing showing how the work was done. Homendy said the company has told investigators it can't find it.
This information is consistent with previous reports that Boeing employees use two record-keeping systems to track work, which may have caused confusion about how work is done. The absence of a carefully documented work record in the world of aviation maintenance and manufacturing is highly unusual.
Days after the accident, Calhoun addressed Boeing employees and said the company would approach the NTSB and FAA investigations “with 100% complete transparency every step of the way.” He also vowed to change Boeing's practices to strengthen its safety culture.
Shares of the U.S. aircraft maker were little changed in New York trading on Wednesday. It's down 23% this year, the worst performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Employee interview
During the Senate hearing, Homendy said investigators are focusing on the 25 Boeing employees assigned to the 737 door. The company has not released their names and the safety board has not been able to interview them, she said.
“We have repeatedly asked for that information,” Homendy said. “It's not for lack of trying.”
Hours later, Boeing pushed back, saying the NTSB's request for the workers' names was “recent” and that it had provided the information to the NTSB. The company also said it provided the NTSB with the names of employees it believed had relevant information immediately after the accident.
“In response to a recent request, we have provided a list of all members of the 737 door team,” the company said in a statement.
“We will continue to fully and transparently cooperate with the NTSB's investigation,” the company said in a statement.
The NTSB believes work on the 737's door panels took place in mid-September, based on emails, text messages and other information it obtained. But investigators have not yet received more specific information, Homendy said.
An NTSB team will be at the Renton, Wash., factory where the plane was manufactured this week to conduct additional interviews, she said. She said the team's manager, who was supposed to have performed the job, is on medical leave from her job.
Homendy said the NTSB also recently learned that the three people who worked on the plane were not employees of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, but instead worked for contractors.
senator's letter
Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat who chairs the committee, said during the hearing that Boeing's lack of cooperation was “beyond disappointing.”
“I thought the CEO said he would cooperate as much as possible,” Cantwell said. “So, it looks like this information is hindering your investigation, but it sounds like you know it and you should at least be able to talk to the person there.”
Late Wednesday, Cantwell sent a letter to Calhoun requesting that the NTSB provide additional information within 48 hours.
Homendy also clarified that initial reports that bolts on other 737 Max planes were not properly tightened were unrelated to the Alaska plane's failure. FAA officials told the NTSB that other nearby bolts were involved, but not the one that caused the door panel to fail.
She also confirmed that forensic evidence on the door panel, recovered days after the incident, showed the door panel was moving on the plane before it malfunctioned.
Bloomberg reported on February 29 that the U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing the incident and that the company could face criminal charges.
The FAA is also investigating whether Boeing is not complying with requirements that aircraft leaving the factory strictly conform to agency-approved designs. The agency also increased oversight of Boeing's assembly lines, barring the aircraft maker from increasing production rates until it was satisfied that quality practices had improved.
