An American civil transportation oversight body has planned a two-day inquiry to investigate why a door plug detached from a Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft in January.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced the “investigative fact-gathering hearing” back in March, scheduled to run from August 6 to August 7, lasting just under 20 hours in total.
The NTSB, an independent federal agency tasked with probing and determining the likely causes of civil aviation accidents in the U.S., uses such investigative hearings to gather more details from involved parties and to suggest safety enhancements.
Although the specific Boeing representatives to testify have not been disclosed, the NTSB selects witnesses who can offer information not yet uncovered, requiring clarification, or warranting public discussion.
The NTSB stated that the August hearing will supplement its ongoing investigation into the incident but mentioned that the complete investigation could take up to 18 months from the accident date.
In a recent development, Boeing faced a potential exclusion from the probe after the NTSB found the company had breached its rules by sharing investigative details with the media regarding the incident’s possible cause.
Following this breach, Boeing lost access to further investigative information produced by the NTSB and will not be permitted to question other participants during the August hearing.
The hearing follows the widely reported January 5 event where a door plug detached from an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 at 16,000 feet, causing a rapid loss of cabin pressure, prompting an emergency landing. Fortunately, all 177 passengers and crew survived the ordeal.
An immediate investigation revealed that four bolts meant to secure the mid exit door plug were missing, thrusting Boeing into the spotlight and raising concerns about its safety standards and previous issues related to the MAX aircraft.
The incident led the Federal Aviation Administration to ground 171 Boeing planes for over six months, and a subsequent six-week FAA inspection uncovered “multiple instances” of Boeing failing to meet quality control requirements.