A terrifying 10 minute flight adds to years of Boeing’s quality control problems

Boeing used to have a reputation for unmatched safety and quality in its commercial jets. No longer.

Boeing used to have a reputation for unmatched safety and quality in its commercial jets. No longer. The terrifying accident aboard a 10-week old 737 Max 9 flight Friday night is only the latest in what has been a long line of safety and quality control questions about Boeing aircraft. Stunningly, no one was killed or seriously injured when a piece of the plane ripped out of the side of the fuselage only a few minutes into the flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, Canada, sending some of the contents of the plane hurling into the void. “It’s fortunate that nobody died and there were not more serious injuries,” Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Safety Transportation Board (NTSB), told CNN. Investigators continue to comb through data and eyewitness accounts and examine the jet itself. Early details from the NTSB are harrowing: Homendy said that the headrests from seat 26A — which is immediately next to the refrigerator-sized hole in the plane’s left side — as well as seat 25A in front of it, were missing. Seats structures are twisted, Homendy said, oxygen masks are dangling and there is a piece of clothing caught up in the hole by the missing door plug that separated from the airplane. “The video looks very calm, but I’m sure it was completely chaotic and very loud,” Homendy said, referring to videos taken by passengers. The cause of the accident has not been determined. The plane’s auto pressurization fail light had illuminated three times in the past month, Homendy said, noting it is unclear if there is any correlation between the warning lights and the Friday incident.