A recent incident involving a missing door plug on a 737 Max aircraft from Alaska Airlines has shed light on a major paperwork issue at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington. The missing paperwork led to the four bolts required to hold the door plug in place never being installed before the plane left the factory in October. This incident could have been avoided if the workers had been properly informed about the necessary work.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reprimanded Boeing for revealing “non-public investigative information” to the media during a briefing this week. The NTSB stated that Boeing had violated the agency’s rules and would no longer have access to information generated by the NTSB during its investigation. The agency has referred Boeing’s conduct to the Department of Justice.
During the Tuesday briefing, Boeing explained that the problem with the door plug occurred due to miscommunication between two groups of employees at the plant. The first group removed the door plug to address rivet problems but failed to generate the necessary paperwork. The second group, tasked with reinstalling the plug, was not aware that the plane would actually fly in that condition and believed they were only protecting the fuselage.
The plane flew for two months with the missing bolts before the door plug blew out mid-flight, causing damage to the aircraft but no serious injuries to passengers. Boeing is now taking steps to address the issue, including slowing down the assembly lines and ensuring that all planes leave the factory in a safe condition.
The NTSB continues its investigation into the incident and will withhold further comment on Boeing’s explanation. A final report is not expected for another year. Boeing’s senior vice president of quality for the commercial airplane unit, Elizabeth Lund, expressed confidence that the actions taken by the company will prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
