NTSB blames Boeing, FAA for system failures that risked lives
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday that Alaska Airlines Flight 1282’s crew saved lives when a door plug panel detached midair in January 2024—but that they never should have been put in that position. “This accident never should have happened,” she said, citing critical failures by Boeing and the FAA.
The NTSB investigation found that bolts meant to secure the panel were removed and never reinstalled during repairs at a Boeing factory. The panel, covering a deactivated emergency exit, detached just minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, creating a violent decompression at 16,000 feet that injured seven people and forced an emergency landing.
Boeing’s factory under scrutiny
The missing bolts were not documented. Only one of the 24 Boeing workers tasked with such panels had ever removed one before, and that person was not present. Employees reported being pressured to work fast, sometimes performing jobs they weren’t qualified for. The result: the door plug gradually shifted over the course of 154 flights before detaching.
The plug was manufactured and installed by Spirit AeroSystems, and later removed by Boeing to fix damaged rivets—but never properly reinstalled. Boeing’s quality assurance system failed to detect the issue. The FAA, despite conducting 50 annual audits, missed systemic manufacturing flaws as well.
Broader safety failures at Boeing
This is the latest in a series of crises for the 737 Max series. Following two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, Boeing was required to enhance safety standards. But the NTSB says those improvements were not fully in place when the Alaska plane was built. Workers lacked manufacturing experience, and on-the-job training was inconsistent.
Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg, hired in 2024, has made changes including appointing a senior vice president of quality. Still, Homendy said the company’s reforms must go further. The FAA has since capped Max production at 38 jets per month until oversight improves.
A recurring theme of avoidable disaster
Though no one died in the Alaska Airlines incident, the parallels to past Boeing failures are striking. NTSB staff emphasized that the accident was not just about a missing bolt, but a reflection of deeper, systemic breakdowns. Boeing and its suppliers face renewed scrutiny amid continued legal and regulatory pressure, including a DOJ deal to avoid prosecution for earlier misrepresentations.
