US transport safety officials are investigating a dramatic mid-air emergency involving a Boeing 737 Max 9. Thousands of pages of documents have been released, showing the chaos that unfolded after an unused door blew out of the plane.
The incident, which happened on January 5th during an Alaska Airlines flight, was discussed at a two-day National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing. The documents reveal that the plane’s crew experienced a violent decompression when the door panel detached mid-flight.
According to the documents, the co-pilot described a loud bang and intense pressure changes that nearly knocked off their headset. “It was chaos,” they said. A flight attendant recalled hearing a loud bang and feeling a rush of air as the door burst open. They also mentioned that the galley curtain was sucked towards the cabin. The names of the crew members have been kept confidential.
At the hearing, Boeing faced tough questions about the aircraft’s manufacturing and the repair work done on the door plug before the blowout. The NTSB’s preliminary report revealed that four crucial bolts were missing after a repair at a Boeing facility. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy criticized Boeing’s safety culture, calling for improvements.
In response, Boeing’s senior vice president for quality, Elizabeth Lund, announced that the company is working on design changes to ensure door plugs remain securely in place. She also mentioned that two workers, who may have been involved in the door plug’s removal and reinstallation, are now on paid administrative leave.
This incident marks the second major crisis for Boeing in recent years. It led to a two-week grounding of Max 9 planes worldwide, a ban on increasing production, and a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe. Boeing also recently admitted to fraud charges related to previous crashes of its 737 Max planes.
The company reported a $1.4 billion loss between April and June and has appointed Robert K 'Kelly' Ortberg, a seasoned aerospace engineer, as its new chief executive.
