Earlier this month, a large piece of Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737 MAX exploded in midair.
The plane's door opened amid Boeing's focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices over passenger safety.
Would you want to fly on a plane where they prioritized DEI over your safety? This is already happening. https://t.co/FcTyzZD0uW
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 10, 2024
According to a new report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday, the door panel that exploded was not attached to any screws.
Furthermore, the defective door plug was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems in Malaysia.
“Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is responsible for what happened,” Dave Calhoun, Boeing's president and CEO, said in the statement. “An event like this should not happen on a plane leaving our factory. We simply have to do what is best for our customers and their passengers. We are implementing a comprehensive plan to enhance quality and the confidence of our stakeholders. It will take significant, clear action and transparency at every turn – and that is where we are focused.” directly on him.
NBC News reported:
The door panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 plane that fell in midair did not have bolts on the door seal, according to preliminary findings released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
A photo of the plane at a factory in Renton, Washington, revealed no rivets, the NTSB said.
“Photo documents obtained from Boeing show evidence of the left MED plug being closed without any retainers (bolts) at the three visible locations,” the report said, using shorthand for the middle exit door.
However, it was not clear what stage of the manufacturing process the aircraft was in when the photo was taken.
The report said the defective plug was manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems Malaysia on March 24, 2023, and received at Spirit AeroSystems Wichita on May 10, 2023. The plug was then installed and outfitted on a Spirit AeroSystems 8789 aircraft before being shipped to Boeing on August 20, 2023. It arrived The fuselage was returned to Boeing's Renton facility on Aug. 31, 2023, according to the report.
