Scathing NTSB report blames four key missing bolts for Boeing plane panel blowout

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on Tuesday confirming that four critical bolts were missing on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 which resulted in a doorplug blowing out last month, causing the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane to make an emergency landing in Portland.

The bolts that appeared to be missing prevent the plug’s upward movement. The NTSB previously said that all 12 stop fittings disengaged on the part.

The plane had just left on its way to Ontario, California when the plug blowout occurred at 16,000 feet. Several passengers sustained minor injuries but were at treated at the scene at cleared by medical professionals. Four minors and three lap children were on board. There were 171 passengers in total, in addition to four flight attendants and two captains.

No had been seated next to the plug, which can sometimes double as an emergency exit.

The blowout resulted in rapid depressurization, causing oxygen masks to fall from the vents and debris from the plane to be ejected, including two iPhones. The door plug was later found in a school teacher’s backyard, while the two phones were found in streets close to where the incident happened.

Passengers on board the 5 January flight described the chaos on the aircraft as “terrifying” with some even reportedly calling their families to say what they thought would be a final goodbye.

A group of passengers who sued Boeing following the incident told their attorney, Daniel Laurence, that the event left them “shocked, terrorized and confused, thrust into a walking nightmare, hoping they would live long enough to walk the earth again.”

Alaska Airlines offered all passengers on board $1,500 in compensation, in addition to a refund for their flight and mental health services.

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB said that the incident could have been catastrophic had it happened higher than 16,000 feet in the sky.

It had previously been reported that the plane’s door plug – a panel of the fuselage near the rear of the aircraft – had left the manufacturing plant without critical bolts needed to keep it in place.

Experts that previously spoke to The Independent said the issue might have stemmed from Spirit AeroSystems, the manufacturer that made the door plug.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun responded to the preliminary report saying “Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened. An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory. We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers.”

The company said it is implementing a comprehensive plan to strengthen quality and the confidence of our stakeholders.

Despite this, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines both said they found loose bolts on several of their models of the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration forced the grounding of all Boeing Max 9s until thorough inspections could be completed, causing hundreds of flights to be cancelled. The model only began flying again at the end of January.

Still, the federal agency has halted the continued manufacturing of the plane until it can examine Boeing’s practices.

Just this week, a Boeing official said the company was made aware of 50 planes that needed to be reworked after Spirit Aerosystems identified misdrilled holes on some fuselages, according to Reuters.

Experts said that they expect the NTSB’s investigation, which is still ongoing, to determine the quality assurance for both Boeing and Spirit Aerosystems. That would mean figuring out if employees were completing their taks per the detailed instructions assigned to them.

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