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Written by David Shepherdson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Boeing said on Friday that required documentation detailing that key parts were removed during production of the 737 MAX 9 that malfunctioned during an in-flight emergency was not produced, according to a letter seen by Reuters. He said he thought that.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced last month that a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plane came off during a flight on January 5, and four key bolts appeared to be missing.
Boeing Vice President Ziad Ojakli told U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell in a letter that “we have searched extensively and found no such document,” adding that the plane maker’s working hypothesis is ” “The documentation required for our process was not created at the time the door plugs were manufactured.” Open. ”
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Wednesday that Boeing Co. lacked cooperation and withheld certain documents, including documents related to door plug opening and closing and the names of 25 door staffers at the 737 factory in Renton, Washington. criticized. .
“It’s unreasonable that we don’t have it after two months,” Homendy said during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing.
Following Mr. Homendy’s comments, Boeing provided 25 names, and Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun spoke with Mr. Homendy, the company and the NTSB said.
In the aftermath of the crash, which caused no injuries, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded the MAX 9 in January for several weeks, barred Boeing from increasing MAX production, and imposed “systematic sanctions” on Boeing. It ordered the development of a comprehensive plan to address “quality control issues.” “Within 90 days.
“Our records indicate that this list was first requested from us via email on Saturday, March 2, and the request was discussed by Boeing and the NTSB on Monday,” Boeing’s letter said. ” is stated.
Homendy said Wednesday that the NTSB has been working for two months to identify specific production shifts and employees for MAX 9, and that the board will discuss requests for employee names with key lawmakers at its Feb. 6 meeting. He added that he had informed him.
“The NTSB needs to interview the employee,” she said. “The only way to be safe is to find out what happened, what was done and what wasn’t done.”
NTSB investigators have been at the 737 factory since Sunday, conducting interviews.
Before Wednesday’s hearing, “Boeing was not aware of any complaints or concerns regarding lack of cooperation,” Ojakli wrote, adding that Boeing “committed to continuing to fully and transparently cooperate with the NTSB investigation.” He added that he had worked tirelessly and provided “extensive records and documentation.”
He wrote that Boeing had previously provided the names of “dozens of employees, including door crew members, who were in or around the affected aircraft at critical times, such as the door stopper shift.”
Homendy plans to send his own letter to the Senate detailing the NTSB’s view of Boeing’s cooperation. An NTSB spokeswoman had no immediate comment Friday, but said she stands by her testimony.
(Reporting by David Shepherdson; Editing by William Mallard)
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