NTSB Chief Testifies That Boeing Is Stonewalling on 737 Door Plug Blowout

Jennifer Homendy tells lawmakers the company has yet to provide names of the installation team and critical documents; Boeing asserts after hearing NTSB has been updated.

John Gallagher

Wednesday, March 06, 2024 at 04:34 PM ET

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NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on March 6. [Credit: U.S. Senate]

Key Takeaways:

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) testified that Boeing has failed to provide crucial information, including employee names and work documentation, essential for the Alaska Airlines door plug investigation.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy expressed serious concerns about Boeing's quality assurance and safety management systems due to this lack of cooperation and also cited transparency problems with supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
Senate lawmakers expressed strong dissatisfaction with Boeing's non-compliance, demanding the requested information by March 13 to progress the investigation into the January 5 incident.

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The country’s top transportation safety official stunned Senate lawmakers on Wednesday after testifying that Boeing has yet to provide information crucial to her agency’s investigation into Alaska Airlines’ door plug blowout incident.

Testifying before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy said that despite numerous requests, NTSB has not received the names of 25 people working at the company’s Renton, Washington, facility responsible for opening, closing, and removing the door plug involved in the January 5 event or documentation supporting their work.