NTSB Hears Testimony of Boeing Retaliation for Workers’ Mistakes

Second day of Washington, D.C., proceeding brings into question the aircraft giant’s overall corporate culture.

Thursday, August 08, 2024 at 10:11 AM ET

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The door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 blew off as the aircraft climbed through 16,000 feet. [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB hearing revealed a corporate culture at Boeing where employees fear retaliation for reporting mistakes, despite official "no-retaliation" policies, with transfers of employees viewed as a form of punishment.
The investigation into the 737 Max 9 door plug failure highlighted systemic issues including missing paperwork for the door's reinstallation, rushed work, inadequate employee training, and high turnover contributing to safety oversights.
Boeing's "speak up" process for reporting safety concerns is largely unknown or feared by employees, reinforcing concerns that the company's internal practices hinder effective safety reporting and oversight.

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Day 2 of the National Transportation Safety Board hearing over the door plug failure on a Boeing 737 Max 9 brought to light a corporate culture where the employees fear retaliation for reporting mistakes.

On Wednesday in Washington, D.C., NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy noted the investigation into the door plug blowout in January near Portland, Oregon, has revealed that the message to Boeing workers is “you mess up, you get moved.”

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.