According to a preliminary NTSB assessment, the Alaska Airlines door panel was defective and did not have any bolts inserted

According to a preliminary NTSB assessment, the Alaska Airlines door panel was defective and did not have any bolts inserted

According to a preliminary NTSB assessment, the Alaska Airlines door panel was defective and did not have any bolts inserted

On January 5, the door plug blew during the trip from Portland, Oregon to Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County, California.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday announced preliminary findings indicating that the door panel of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 that came off in the air was not secured to the door plug.

According to the NTSB, images of the aircraft taken at a Renton, Washington, facility showed that the bolt was missing.

The study, which uses the acronym for middle escape door, states that "photo documentation gathered from Boeing shows evidence of the left hands side MED plug being closed despite not having retention hardware (bolts) in three visible locations."

What stage of the production process the airplane was in when the picture was taken, however, remained unclear.

According to the investigation, Spirit AeroSystems Malaysia produced the faulty plug on March 24, 2023, and Spirit AeroSystems Wichita received it on May 10, 2023. The plug was reportedly fitted and wired on Spirit AeroSystems fuselage line 8789 before to being transported on August 20, 2023, to Boeing. The report states that on August 31, 2023, the fuselage landed at Boeing's Renton factory.

Boeing expressed its appreciation for the NTSB's efforts in a statement released on Tuesday. It said it would analyze the findings "expeditiously" and will keep working with the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration's inquiry.

Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun stated in the statement, "Boeing is accountable for what transpired, whatever the ultimate conclusion may be." We really need to do better for our customers as well as their passengers. "This type of incident is undesirable on an airplane leaving our factory." "This will need major, demonstrable action and openness at every stage - and that is where we are absolutely focused,” states the comprehensive strategy we are putting into action to increase the caliber and confidence of our stakeholders.

On January 5, when the plane was traveling from Portland, Oregon through Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County, California, a door stopper blew, creating a sizable hole in the side of the aircraft. There were 177 persons on board. A "loud bang" was heard immediately after takeoff, according to many passengers. A panel from the side of the fuselage is missing, as shown in a passenger picture. In Portland, Oregon, the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing.

Amid the NTSB inquiry, the FAA grounded all 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft registered in the United States. Also, the FAA said that it will be closely monitoring Boeing's manufacturing and production processes.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker provided further information on the expanded probe of Boeing that is now being conducted during his hearing on Tuesday before the House Transportation as well as Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee.

"We are proposing being able to grow the inspection approach by integrating both audits and inspections, which is why we are moving inspectors to the new facilities," Whittaker said. "We are aware that the next step is to increase our presence on the ground in order to verify what is occurring."

According to Whittaker, the FAA is investigating if Boeing is experiencing manufacturing issues as a result of the Jan. 5 incident.

"There have been certain issues in the past and they don't seem to be addressed, so we think we need to monitor properly after this," he said. "I believe that more inspectors and boots on the ground will be necessary. On the side of the house that handles aircraft certification, we don't have many inspectors."

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines announced earlier this month that they will be bringing their fleets of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft back into service. In an earnings report, Alaska said that it is almost ready to finish inspecting its fleet and that each aircraft would be put back into service as soon as it passes inspection.

Boeing has been sued by a number of passengers on an aircraft whose door plug broke away in midair. The manufacturer "delivered the subject 737 Max 9 to Alaska Airlines, Inc. without properly fastening the (door) plugs to the airframe," according to the class-action complaint, and the bolts and seals were installed on faulty panels. He said that the event had physically and psychologically damaged him.

According to the complaint, the plane lost pressure when the door plug came out, causing "a lot of oxygen, other debris, and a torn shirt on one of the boys to fall out of the aircraft." Since then, the door plug has been found and is being investigated by the NTSB. It was transported to Washington.