Source: AFP
A US investigative authority has slammed Boeing for sharing details about an ongoing investigation into a near-catastrophic plane incident that should not have been discussed publicly.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that as a result, it will prevent Boeing from reviewing information gathered during its investigation.
Boeing “flagrantly violated” investigative regulations under a signed agreement as a party to the investigation, the NTSB said in a statement late Wednesday.
The agency also bars Boeing from asking questions of other participants in a two-day investigative hearing on the case to be held by the NTSB in early August in Washington.
The investigation involves a Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines flight of a Boeing 737 MAX that made an emergency landing after a fuselage panel blew off during flight.
Earlier this week, Boeing invited the media to a tour and updates on its efforts to improve quality control. An AFP reporter attended the rally, which was held on Tuesday under an agreement to embargo information until Thursday morning.
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But the NTSB said Boeing violated the agreement “by providing nonpublic investigative information to the media and speculation about possible causes of the Jan. 5 plug explosion.”
“As a party to many NTSB investigations over the past several decades, few entities know the rules better than Boeing,” the NTSB said.
Under the party agreement Boeing signed with the NTSB, the company is supposed to refer all comments about the Alaska Airlines investigation to the agency.
Boeing apologized to the NTSB, saying it “stands ready to answer any questions as the agency continues its investigation,” according to a company statement.
“We conducted an in-depth briefing on the safety and quality plan and shared lessons learned from the January 5 accident,” Boeing said.
“We deeply regret that some of our comments, which were intended to clarify our responsibility in the accident and explain the actions we are taking, went beyond the NTSB’s role as a source of investigative information.”
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What went wrong
In a preliminary announcement in February, NTSB officials said four bolts securing the door plug were missing. Part of the NTSB investigation focuses on what went wrong.
The NTSB has disputed the comments of Elizabeth Lund, Boeing’s senior vice president for quality.
During a session with reporters, Lund discussed aspects of working on the door plug.
He also said Boeing was focused on closing a “loophole” related to the lack of documentation and that determining who did the work “is the NTSB’s responsibility and the investigation is still ongoing.”
The NTSB responded that “in the briefing, Boeing presented the NTSB’s investigation as one to identify the individual responsible for the door socket work.”
“The NTSB is focusing on the probable cause of the accident, without placing blame on any individual or assessing liability,” the agency said.
The NTSB also said it is “coordinating” with the Justice Department, which plans to announce next steps soon after concluding that Boeing could be prosecuted for violating the 2021 deferred prosecution agreement for two fatal MAX crashes.
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The NTSB will provide the Department of Justice with “details regarding Boeing’s recent unauthorized releases of investigative information in the 737 MAX 9 door outlet investigation,” the NTSB said.
Source: AFP