Boeing Claims Critical Records Missing After 737 MAX 9 Crisis: Report

Boeing Company BA said yesterday that necessary records documenting the elimination of a critical component during the production of a 737 MAX 9, which malfunctioned during a mid-air crisis, were never generated.

“It appears from our records this list was requested from us for the first time on Saturday, March 2, by email, and the request was discussed by Boeing and the NTSB on Monday,” a letter read, according to Reuters.

Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicated that a door plug, which detached from an Alaska Air Group, Inc. ALK 737 MAX 9 aircraft mid-flight on Jan. 5, seemed to lack four essential bolts.

Also Read: ‘I’m Going To Die!’: Passengers Experience 15-Minute Nightmare During Alaska Air’s Harrowing Emergency, 65 Boeing 737 Max 9 Jets Grounded

Boeing Executive Vice President Ziad Ojakli told U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell in the letter, “We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation” and that the company’s working theory was “the documents required by our processes were not created when the door plug was opened,” Reuters added.

On Wednesday, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy condemned Boeing for what she termed as a lack of cooperation and failure to disclose certain documents, such as those regarding the door plug’s operation and the identities of 25 workers on the door crew at the 737 factory in Renton, Washington.

Following the incident, which resulted in no injuries, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the MAX 9 for several weeks in January.

Additionally, Boeing was prohibited from raising the MAX production rate, and the FAA mandated Boeing to formulate a comprehensive plan within 90 days to tackle “systemic quality-control issues,” Reuters added.

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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published.

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