Boeing responds after being rebuked by NTSB for sharing details of Alaska Airlines door blowout investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has sanctioned Boeing after the aircraft company "blatantly violated NTSB investigative regulations" by "providing non-public investigative information to the media and speculating about possible causes of the Jan. 5 door-plug blowout on a Boeing passenger jet in Portland, Oregon."
The NTSB accused Boeing of providing the information during a media briefing by the senior vice president of quality for Boeing commercial airplanes, Elizabeth Lund, on Tuesday that occurred in Renton, Washington.
"We deeply regret that some of our comments, intended to make clear our responsibility in the accident and explain the actions we are taking, overstepped the NTSB’s role as the source of investigative information," Boeing said in a statement to FOX Business. "We apologize to the NTSB and stand ready to answer any questions as the agency continues its investigation."
Lund, who is also chair of the Enterprise Quality Operations Council, said during the first several minutes of the briefing at the Boeing factory that the fuselage arrived with "five non-conforming rivets" from its supplier. She added that the mid-exit door plug needed to be opened in order to get access to the rivets for replacement.
"That plug was opened without the correct paperwork," Lund said. "You guys have read about it, it was referenced in the NTSB report which is out there."
She said a "lack of compliance to our processes by the correct documentation, using the correct documentation," contributed to what could have been a deadly situation.
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The NTSB said Boeing would keep its status as a party to the investigation into the Alaska Airlines emergency but would no longer see unpublished information produced during its probe into the accident, which the NTSB has previously said involved the midair blowout of a door plug with four missing bolts.
"As a party to many NTSB investigations over the past decades, few entities know the rules better than Boeing," the NTSB said in its press release. The agency is subpoenaing the company to appear in an investigative hearing into the case scheduled for Aug. 6 and 7 in Washington, D.C.
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"Unlike the other parties in the hearing, Boeing will not be allowed to ask questions of other participants," the NTSB said.
Reuters contributed to this report.