NTSB imposes sanctions on Boeing for ‘flagrant’ breach of contract by sharing non-public investigation details

Boeing faces sanctions for failing to disclose public information about its investigation into the cause of a door stopper flying out of one of its 737 Max 9 aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.

Officials accused the plane maker of “blatantly” violating an agreement signed with the NTSB under which the company participates in the investigation of information that would not otherwise be made public.

“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,” the NTSB said in a press release.

The press release continues: “Both actions are prohibited by the party agreement that Boeing signed when it was offered party status by the NTSB at the outset of the investigation.”

NTSB officials launched an investigation in January after a door stopper fell off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 shortly after the plane took off from Portland International Airport.

The company will retain its status as a party to the investigation but will no longer have access to investigation details, the NTSB said Thursday.

During a media event on Tuesday, an unnamed company executive said the NTSB’s investigation was to find the person responsible for the defective door plug, according to the NTSB.

“The NTSB is instead focusing on the probable cause of the accident and is not looking for an individual or liability issue,” officials said in the press release.

The board noted that Boeing has been involved in many investigations over the past decades, adding that “few companies know the rules better than Boeing.”