Key Points
- Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems executives will testify regarding the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door plug incident.
- Elizabeth Lund, Doug Ackerman from Boeing, and Terry George and Scott Grabon from Spirit AeroSystems will provide key insights.
- The hearing will address manufacturing, inspections, safety and quality management systems, and FAA oversight issues.
- Boeing faces a $4.7 billion stock buyback, a $243.6 million fine, and a guilty plea to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge related to previous 737 MAX crashes.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that several executives from Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems will testify in a two-day hearing starting Tuesday regarding the mid-air blowout of an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door plug in January. Key figures from both companies will provide testimony, including Elizabeth Lund, Boeing’s Senior Vice President for Quality, and Doug Ackerman, Vice President of Supplier Quality for Boeing. Terry George, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Boeing Programs at Spirit AeroSystems, and Scott Grabon, Senior Director for 737 Quality at Spirit, will also testify.
In January, a 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines experienced a blowout of its door plug during flight due to four missing bolts. The hearing will span 20 hours over two days and will delve into various issues such as the 737’s manufacturing and inspection processes, safety and quality management systems, FAA oversight, and the specifics of the door plug’s opening and closing mechanisms.
The incident has raised significant concerns about Boeing’s manufacturing practices and the FAA’s oversight. Boeing admitted that no paperwork documenting the removal of the bolts exists, a critical lapse in the manufacturing process. The FAA, which barred Boeing from expanding 737 production in January, has faced criticism for being “too hands-off” in its oversight of Boeing prior to this incident.
In June, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker acknowledged the agency’s oversight shortcomings. Concurrently, the NTSB accused Boeing of violating investigation rules by sharing non-public information with the media and speculating on the incident’s causes. The NTSB specifically called out remarks made by Elizabeth Lund as either inaccurate or not previously disclosed to the Board. As a result, Boeing has been barred from accessing information produced during the NTSB’s probe and is prohibited from asking questions during the hearing.
This hearing follows Boeing’s recent legal troubles. Last month, Boeing agreed to a $4.7 billion stock buyback of Spirit AeroSystems, whose core plants were spun off in 2005. Additionally, Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and pay a $243.6 million fine to resolve a U.S. Justice Department investigation into two fatal 737 MAX crashes.
