NTSB rips Boeing for failing to produce key door plug documents

Boeing has not turned over important records to investigators probing the door plug blowout on a 737 Max earlier this year, investigators say. That, Boeing signaled Wednesday afternoon, is because there are no records.

Boeing has not turned over important records to investigators probing the door plug blowout on a 737 Max earlier this year, investigators say. That, Boeing signaled Wednesday afternoon, is because there are no records. The records in question are documentation of steps on the assembly line last fall when National Transportation Safety Board investigators believe Boeing employees removed critical bolts that hold the plug in place, but did not reinstall the bolts before the plane left the Boeing factory in October 2023. The plane flew about 150 commercial flights before the door plug flew off the plane mid-flight on January 5, just over two months ago. “Boeing has not provided us with the documents and information that we have requested numerous times over the past few months, specifically with respect to opening, closing and removal of the door and the team that does that work at the Renton facility,” National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said Wednesday in testimony before the US Senate Commerce Committee. She testified that because of Boeing’s actions, NTSB investigators do not know who on the Boeing assembly line removed and reinstalled the door plug that — months later while the plane was in service carrying passengers — blew out. After her testimony, Boeing followed up with a statement: “With respect to documentation, if the door plug removal was undocumented there would be no documentation to share. We will continue to cooperate fully and transparently with the NTSB’s investigation.” The Federal Aviation Administration has recently identified issues with processes on Boeing’s manufacturing line. Earlier this week, it said a six-week audit of the company identified “non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control,” although it did not specify the specific shortcomings.