“Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened,” said Boeing president and CEO Dave Calhoun in response to National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the investigation into the blowout of the mid-exit door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 in January.
The 19-page report, released Tuesday by the NTSB, noted the four bolts that are supposed to hold the door plug in place were removed for maintenance at the factory before delivery of the jet but never reinstalled. The aircraft had flown 510 hours without having the door plug properly secured.
