NTSB chair: Absence of Boeing records will complicate investigation into midair blowout

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday that the lack of Boeing records will complicate the investigation into the midair blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy sent a letter to Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to update the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on whether the NTSB has received documentation from Boeing in connection to the installation of the door plug that blew out on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9.

The NTSB launched an investigation shortly after the Jan. 5 incident. In a preliminary report released last month, the NTSB said four bolts meant to help secure the door plug were missing after it was opened for rivet repair work in September. Homendy said during a committee hearing last week that the repairs were performed by contractors who worked for Boeing’s supplier, Spirit AeroSystems.

As of Wednesday, she said the NTSB still does not know who performed the repairs, noting Boeing was unable to provide video footage of the installation.

“To date, we still do not know who performed the work to open, reinstall, and close the door plug on the accident aircraft. Boeing has informed us that they are unable to find the records documenting this work,” she wrote in the letter.

“A verbal request was made by our investigators for security camera footage to help obtain this information; however, they were informed the footage was overwritten. The absence of those records will complicate the NTSB’s investigation moving forward,” she added.

A Boeing official told The Hill it is standard practice for video recordings to be maintained on a rolling 30-day basis. Homendy said federal investigators first asked for documents that would have contained this information on Jan. 9, just four days after the incident.

She said investigators later identified the door crew manager, but his attorney told the NTSB he would not be able to provide a statement or interview due to medical issues. She then said Boeing provided thevNTSB “with names of individuals who may provide insight regarding the work performed to open, reinstall, and close the door plug in September 2023” on Feb. 2.

Homendy said the NTSB sent another request on March 2 asking for the names of all those who reported to the door crew manager during September. However, she said Boeing’s response did not include those who worked on the door panel.

When she called Boeing CEO David Calhoun about it, she said he stated Boeing had no records of the work being performed and that he could not provide that information.

She also reiterated in the letter the NTSB is not looking for the names of people for “punitive purposes,” but instead “to learn about Boeing’s quality-assurance processes and safety culture.”

Boeing said in a statement that it will continue to work with the investigation.

“We will continue supporting this investigation in the transparent and proactive fashion we have supported all regulatory inquiries into this accident. We have worked hard to honor the rules about the release of investigative information in an environment of intense interest from our employees, customers, and other stakeholders, and we will continue our efforts to do so,” the statement read.