US imposes sanctions on Boeing for sharing details of 737 Max investigation

A U.S. regulator imposed sanctions on Boeing on Thursday for failing to publicly disclose details of the government’s investigation into the Alaska Airlines doorstop incident that occurred this year during a 737 Max 9 flight.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Boeing “blatantly violated” the agency’s regulations as the troubled aircraft maker provided information about the investigation and speculated about the cause of the incident at a press conference on Tuesday.

A transcript of the briefing to the NTSB shows that Boeing disclosed nonpublic information to the media that the regulator had neither reviewed nor approved for release. It also showed that Boeing “provided opinions and analysis on factors it believes contributed to the accident.”

The NTSB said these actions were prohibited by an agreement Boeing signed when the regulator offered it party status at the beginning of the investigation.

“Because Boeing has been involved in many NTSB investigations over the past decades, few companies know the rules better than Boeing,” the regulator said.

While Boeing retains its status as a party, it will no longer have access to investigative information on regulatory products, the NTSB added.

During the Alaska Airlines flight in January, a door stopper was blown off the plane while it was flying at 16,000 feet over Portland, Oregon.

Boeing faced intense scrutiny and a series of federal investigations in the months that followed.

CEO Dave Calhoun is set to resign at the end of the year. During an intense congressional hearing earlier this month, lawmakers accused him of putting the company’s profits above safety.

Boeing is also accused of falsely portraying the investigation as a manhunt for the person who worked on the doorstop.

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

The regulator said it would summon Boeing to an investigative hearing on August 6 and 7. It would also work with the Justice Department’s Anti-Fraud Division to provide details of the unauthorized disclosures.

The Justice Department is already considering criminal prosecution of Boeing for violating the terms of an agreement following two fatal plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.

The ministry had previously stated that it would inform the court of its future actions by July 7.

Boeing did not immediately respond to The NationalPlease leave a comment.

Updated: June 27, 2024, 1:54 p.m.