Boeing door plug hearings put embattled planemaker under NTSB scrutiny
A two-day National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing begins Tuesday, focusing on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX door plug blowout that occurred in January.
Elizabeth Lund, senior vice president of quality for Boeing commercial airplanes, is expected to testify for much of the opening day regarding the plane's manufacturing, inspections and events surrounding the opening and closing of the mid-exit door plug, according to an NTSB-released agenda.
Terry George, senior vice president and general manager for Boeing Program at Spirit AeroSystems, and Scott Grabon, a senior director for 737 quality at Spirit, which makes the fuselage for the MAX, will also appear.
Last month, Boeing agreed to buy back Spirit AeroSystems, whose core plants it spun off in 2005, for $4.7 billion in stock.
BOEING AGREES TO BUY SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS FOR $4.7B AS MANUFACTURER ADDRESSES SAFETY CONCERNS
Earlier this summer, Boeing was rebuked by the NTSB for sharing details about the investigation into the matter during a media briefing by Lund, who is also chair of the Enterprise Quality Operations Council.
The NTSB said it was going to subpoena the company to appear in this week's investigative hearing in Washington, D.C., adding that Boeing would not be allowed to ask questions of other participants.
"We deeply regret that some of our comments, intended to make clear our responsibility in the accident and explain the actions we are taking, overstepped the NTSB’s role as the source of investigative information," Boeing said in a statement to FOX Business. "We apologize to the NTSB and stand ready to answer any questions as the agency continues its investigation."
Back in March, the NTSB said the investigative hearing was necessary to "determine the facts, circumstances, and probable cause of the transportation accident" that occurred Jan. 5 on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 at an altitude of about 16,000 feet shortly after departing Portland, Oregon, on a flight destined for Ontario, California.
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The loss of the door plug led to "rapid decompression," the NTSB said. The flight returned to Portland, where the plane landed safely with 171 passengers and six crew members onboard. Of them, eight reported minor injuries.
Reuters contributed to this report.