NTSB says Boeing failed to provide material information in the 737 Max investigation

The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board told a Senate committee Wednesday that Boeing was slow to provide any information to the agency as it investigates what caused a door panel to separate from an Alaska Airlines plane during a flight in January.

The official, Jennifer Homendy, told the Senate Commerce Committee that her agency had requested all documentation that exists related to the opening and closing of the panel, known as a door plug, at Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington. Ms Homendy said the safety board had also requested the names of certain workers at the factory.

Boeing has a team of 25 employees and a manager who handles doors at the Renton plant, Ms. Homendy told the Senate committee. The manager was on medical leave and the agency was unable to interview that person, Ms. Homendy said. She added that Boeing had not provided the safety board with the names of the remaining 25 employees.

“It’s absurd that two months later we don’t have that anymore,” she said.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The aircraft manufacturer is being investigated by the safety council and the Federal Aviation Administration following the January 5 episode involving the Alaska Airlines plane, a Boeing 737 Max 9 that took off from Portland, Oregon. No one was seriously injured when the door opened. The plane plugged off at about 16,000 feet, but the accident has led to new scrutiny of Boeing’s quality control practices.

A preliminary report released by the safety board last month said four bolts intended to hold the door plug in place had been removed at Boeing’s Renton plant and did not appear to have been reinstalled before the plane was delivered.

Boeing has faced a wave of criticism since the episode. The FAA banned the company from expanding production of the 737 Max series until quality control issues were addressed, and last week the regulator gave the company 90 days to develop a plan to make improvements.