The National Transportation Board (NSTB) released its final report on the in-flight suppression of Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 Max 9 in January 2024. This is an incident that proved the structure of Boeing's commercial business and prompted changes to clean plane C-suites and factory floors.
Midcabin door plug-outs that did not seriously injured passengers or crews have prompted a new wave of scrutiny from the flying masses, US lawmakers and airline executives.
The NTSB report, released on July 10, concluded that the possible causes of door plug blowouts on the Alaska Flight 1282 from Portland to Southern California “will allow for consistent and correct compliance with the appropriate training, guidance and surveillance required for proper training, guidance and surveillance.”
The process was designed to “preferably reinstalled the removed fixing bolts and hardware to facilitate rework during the manufacturing process.”
“The contributing to the accident was (Federal Aviation Administration) inefficient compliance enforcement monitoring and audit planning activities, which Boeing was unable to properly identify and reliably address repeated and systematic nonconformance issues related to the part removal process,” the NTSB concluded.
Boeing said it was making changes to the newly built jet last year, with plans to offer to modify the in-service 737 Max aircraft with the update, with the design being made to prevent door plugs from exploding.
The NTSB final report on incidents recommends that once these design updates have been proven by the FAA, agents will “require airworthiness directives to require all in-service (removing) plug-equipped planes to be modified along with design enhancements.”
This report includes a thorough list of recommendations for both Boeing and the FAA. This includes convening an independent panel to identify the safety culture of Boeing Commercial Aircraft (BCA), boosting on-site training programs, and revising the company's safety risk management process.
In Congressional testimony filed in April, Boeing CEO Kelly Autoberg, who took the reins from former CEO David Calhoun in the aftermath of the incident, told the senators that he had significantly improved the quality and safety of the product since the door plug was blown away.
In June, BCA Chief Stephanie Pope told Flight Global that it continues to have moderate growth in the 737 program, following last year's production shock.
“We have the ability to raise prices, but that's actually based on how we perform and the performance of our supply chain,” the Pope said. “We're not going to build a lot of planes that lack parts. We're not going to do that again.”
Boeing continued to build positive momentum in June by delivering 60 aircraft, including the largest aircraft of 42 737. This has acquired more of that type than any month since December 2023, the company said on July 8th.
Asked to respond to the NTSB's final report on the Alaska Flight 1282, Boeing said efforts are still in progress to strengthen safety processes across the commercial program.
“We regret this accident at Boeing and continue to work to enhance the safety and quality of our overall business,” it says. “We will continue to implement improvements while reviewing the final report and recommendations.”
