Boeing sanctioned for publishing details of NTSB investigation

by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:50 a.m. ET, Thu, June 27, 2024

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that Boeing would face sanctions after company officials disclosed non-public information about an ongoing investigation to the media.

According to Reuters.com, the NTSB accused Boeing of “flagrantly” violating a signed agreement that prohibits the aircraft maker from disclosing to the public unknown details about a Jan. 5 incident in which a door panel fell off an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 plane.

A Boeing executive said the NTSB is looking for the person responsible for the defective door plug. As a result, the company remains part of the investigation but no longer has access to details of the case.

“During a press conference Tuesday about quality improvements at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a Boeing executive provided investigative information and gave an analysis of previously released facts,” an NTSB spokesman told Reuters.

“Both actions are prohibited by the party agreement that Boeing signed when the NTSB offered it party status at the outset of the investigation,” the NTSB statement continued.

At the beginning of the month, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it would intensify its inspections at Boeing. It had previously admitted that it had been “too cautious” in monitoring the aircraft manufacturer in the run-up to the doorstop incident on January 5.

In addition, Boeing has lost more than $32 billion over the past five years.

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