The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sanctioned Boeing after the company revealed confidential details about the ongoing investigation into the incident involving a Boeing 737 Max on an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
The NTSB accused Boeing of “blatantly” violating investigation regulations, as well as a signed agreement, by providing unauthorized information to the media and speculating on the possible causes of the explosion of the metal plug on the door of one of its aircraft that occurred shortly after takeoff and caused a hole in the plane.
As a result, the NTSB has imposed severe restrictions on Boeingremoving access to ongoing investigative information and limiting his participation in future investigative hearings.
Boeing will be summoned to appear at a hearing scheduled for August, where he will not be able to interrogate other parties involved, unlike the other participants. Likewise, the NTSB suggested that the violation of the investigation agreement could be reviewed by the Department of Justice, especially in light of a previous plea agreement that Boeing violated in 2021.
What information did Boeing reveal?
Elizabeth Lund, Senior Vice President of Quality at Boeingdiscussed preliminary information about the Jan. 5 fuselage explosion at a meeting with about 50 journalists from around the world. This represented a violation of established protocols that grant the NTSB exclusivity to disclose and analyze the details of aircraft accident investigations.
The NTSB clarified that Boeing had incorrectly described the investigation as a search to locate the individual responsible for the door stopper work, while the agency is reportedly focused on determining the probable cause of the accident without assigning individual responsibility or assessing culpability.
“In addition, Boeing offered opinions and analysis on the factors which he suggested were the cause of the accident,” the agency added.
Boeing reacts to sanctions
In response to the NTSB’s actions, Boeing spokesperson Jessica Kowalissued an apology and stated that Lund’s comments were made with the intention of taking responsibility and sharing lessons learned from the January incident.
“We apologize to the NTSB and we are prepared to answer any questions as the agency continues its investigation,” the company stated.
