Boeing sanctioned for ‘blatant’ violation of government agreement

A US security agency reprimanded on Thursday Boeing with new sanctions and restrictions after the troubled aerospace giant “blatantly violated” the rules of their agreement.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the January 5 incident when a Door plug broke mid-flight in a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet. Boeing signed an agreement granting it access to the NTSB’s information while it compiled a file on the incident. Boeing is not permitted to make such information public.

But that’s exactly what a senior executive did during a press conference with reporters on Tuesday, according to the NTSB. The agency points out that “it has been involved in many NTSB investigations over the past decades and few companies know the rules better than Boeing.”

Boeing, based in Arlington, Virginia, described the NTSB investigation on Tuesday as a “search for the person responsible for the door stopper defect” that led to the sanctions. The agency said it was focused on determining the probable cause of the incident, not assigning blame. The NTSB investigation first examination Investigations into the burst door stopper incident indicated that workers on the aircraft in question had apparently forgotten to replace the four critical bolts that would have held the part in place.

While Boeing will retain access to the NTSB’s investigative information, it will be subpoenaed to an investigative hearing scheduled for August 6 and 7. And unlike the other parties present, Boeing will not have the right to ask questions.

The NTSB will also coordinate with the Justice Department to release details of Tuesday’s incident as part of a stay of prosecution agreement. Justice officials have until July 7 to decide whether to actually prosecute Boeing under their original agreement four years ago, after two Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft crashed and killed more than 300 people, partly due to autopilot controls that were not properly explained. Prosecutors According to reports plan to recommend that Boeing file criminal charges.

-Melvin Backman contributed to this story.