David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday criticized Boeing for failing to provide some key records and other information sought in its ongoing investigation into the Jan. 5 flight of an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plane. emergency door.
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said investigators requested the names of 25 people who work on door plugs at Boeing’s Renton, Washington facility but did not receive them from Boeing. “It’s absurd that two months later we don’t have it,” Homendy said at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing.
Boeing said Wednesday it initially provided the NTSB with the names of some Boeing employees, including door specialists, who it believed may have relevant information.
“We have now provided a complete list of individuals who worked on 737 doors in response to a recent request,” the aircraft maker said, adding, “If the removal of the door plug had not been documented, there would be no documentation to share. We will continue to cooperate fully and transparently with the NTSB investigation.”
Homendy said earlier Wednesday that she was disappointed.
“It’s not for lack of trying,” she said, adding that the information sought includes the exact shift that was triggered by an improperly installed door plug in September. The agency also requested documentation related to opening and closing the door plug and removing missing key bolts.
Homendy said the NTSB has requested documentation related to the door plug “numerous times over the last several months.”
Separately, she told Reuters that the NTSB plans to hold a multi-day hearing into the MAX 9 case, likely in late summer, that will include testimony from Boeing employees and fuselage maker Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE:).
Homendy confirmed that inspections of all other MAX 9 aircraft in service did not reveal any other missing bolts.
The planemaker has struggled to explain and strengthen safety procedures since an in-flight incident in January that led the FAA to ground the MAX 9 for several weeks. The company has come under increased scrutiny from regulators and major airlines concerned about the quality of its aircraft.
Homendy said investigators began questioning the Boeing plant in Renton on Sunday and will continue throughout the week. The NTSB does not currently know which employees removed the bolts and failed to reinstall them, she said.
“The NTSB needs to interview employees,” she said. “It’s not our fault at the NTSB. The only way to ensure safety is to find out what happened, what was done, what wasn’t done, what policies were put in place.”
Homendy said she does not suspect any malfeasance on Boeing’s part.
Sen. Ted Cruz, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, called it “completely unacceptable” that the NTSB is not getting Boeing’s full cooperation.
Homendy also confirmed that the MAX 9’s door seal had moved during previous flights, citing markings on the door. Before the Jan. 5 flight, Alaska Airlines had flown 154 Boeing 737 MAX 9 flights. “There was very little movement until it eventually came out,” Homendy said, adding that testing showed “you could see a little bit of a gap towards the end.” , but it was not clear how noticeable it was.
The Federal Aviation Administration said this week that its review of 737 MAX production at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with production quality control requirements. The FAA gave Boeing 90 days to develop a quality improvement plan.