US sanctions Boeing for sharing information about 737 Max 9 investigation
Boeing is being sanctioned by US investigators for sharing information about a federal investigation into a broken door plug that left a gaping hole in a Boeing 737 Max 9.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that Boeing “blatantly violated” the agency’s investigative rules and a signed agreement by providing non-public investigative information to the media and speculating about possible causes of the disaster. January 5 door plug broken on a Boeing passenger plane in Portland, Oregon.
During the incident, a panel that closed off a space for an additional emergency door blew off an Alaska Airlines Max 9. Pilots were able to land safely and no injuries were reported.
The NTSB said a Boeing executive provided nonpublic investigative information to the media during a media briefing Tuesday about the Alaska Airlines incident that the agency had not verified or approved for release. The NTSB said Boeing has portrayed the NTSB’s investigation as a search for the person responsible for the door plug work, but the agency said it is focusing on the probable cause of the accident, and not placing blame on any individual or assessing liability.
Boeing said in a statement Thursday that it deeply regretted that some statements made during the press conference went beyond the NTSB’s role as a source of investigative information.
“We apologize to the NTSB and stand ready to answer any questions as the agency continues its investigation,” the organization said.
Shares of The Boeing Co., based in Arlington, Va., rose more than 2% in morning trading.
The NTSB said that given its recent actions, Boeing will not have access to investigative information the agency produces about the Alaska Airlines incident, but it will maintain its party status in the investigation.
The NTSB cannot impose fines on Boeing because it has no enforcement authority. Although the agency could have removed Boeing’s party status, the NTSB may have deemed it more important to retain Boeing as a party to the investigation because of the expertise of its employees.
The NTSB said it can subpoena any relevant records it needs during the investigation. It will also subpoena Boeing to appear at an investigative hearing in Washington DC on August 6 and 7. The agency said that unlike other parties, Boeing cannot ask questions of other participants.
The NTSB said it will cooperate with the Justice Department’s Fraud Division and provide them with information regarding Boeing’s recent unauthorized investigative information related to the 737 Max 9 door plug investigation.
In May, the Justice Department told a federal judge that Boeing had done so has breached a settlement This allowed the company to avoid criminal charges following two fatal accidents involving the company 737 Max aircraft.
After Max jets crashed in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopiakilling 346 people, the FAA and other regulators grounded the plane worldwide for more than a year and a half.
It is now up to the Justice Department to decide whether to file charges against Boeing. Prosecutors will tell the court by July 7 how they plan to proceed, the ministry said in May.
Boeing has been under intense scrutiny lately. Earlier this month, CEO David Calhoun defended the company’s safety record during a contentious Senate hearing, as lawmakers accused him of putting profits over safety, failing to protect whistleblowers and even Overpaid.
There has been pressure on Calhoun to resign immediately, but he has no plans to do so. Calhoun previously announced that he will do so step down by the end of 2024.