In this photo released by the National Transportation Safety Board, Investigator-in-Charge John Lovell examines the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 7, 2024.
National Transportation Safety Board via AP
Bolts were apparently missing from the plug of a door that exploded in mid-air on the Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines last month, according to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Jan. 5 crash left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage as the plane packed with passengers took off from Portland, Oregon, and was flying at about 16,000 feet. The panel that exploded is used to cover an unused emergency exit.
“Overall, the damage patterns observed and the absence of contact damage or deformation around the holes associated with the vertical motion stop bolts and top guide bolts in the top guide fittings, hinge fittings and The recovered aft lower hinge guide hardware indicates that four bolts preventing upward movement of the MED plug were missing before the MED plug moved upward off the stop pads,” the NTSB said in its preliminary report, released on Tuesday.
The crash caused the Federal Aviation Administration to ground the Max 9 for much of last month. Most Max 9 aircraft in the US have returned to service.
The preliminary report on Flight 1282 places most of the blame on Boeing and provides the most detail yet about what went wrong before the plane was delivered to Alaska Airlines late last year.
Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun, under pressure to address manufacturing defects that have delayed plane deliveries, has said the company is responsible for what went wrong.
“We caused the problem,” Calhoun said in a Jan. 31 earnings conference call. “Over these past weeks, I've had difficult conversations with our customers, with our regulators, congressional leaders and more. We understand why they are angry and we will work to earn their trust.”
The FAA is also auditing Boeing's production lines and last month said it would prevent Boeing from increasing production of the best-selling Max plane beyond the current 38 per month it produces until regulators are satisfied with its production processes.
The Jan. 5 crash occurred just as Boeing was trying to ramp up production.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
