Boeing could lose party status in 737 investigation, says NTSB in letter to Calhoun

Boeing could lose its party status in the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the 737 MAX 9 midair door plug blowout on January 5, the NTSB said in a letter to Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun. The NTSB had hit Boeing with sanctions on June 27 following its release of confidential information during a media briefing, stating that Boeing will no longer have access to the investigative documents produced by the NTSB. The letter to Calhoun was sent later that day by NTSB director office of aviation safety Timothy LeBaron. The letter said that if Boeing breaches its party agreement further, it may lead to the loss of its party status. Boeing signed a party agreement on January 7, 2024, following the Flight 1282 incident. The agreement restricts the manufacturer from releasing any investigative information without approval from the NTSB. ""Failure to abide by these requirements will lead to removal of Boeing’s status as a party to the investigation or further restrictions on participation with the NTSB investigation,"" the letter said. LeBaron added in his letter: ""This is the second warning we have issued to Boeing in just this year regarding its flagrant violation of the NTSB rules. It is crucial that the investigation speaks with one voice — that of the NTSB — to prevent the release of inaccurate, misleading, unconfirmed, and out-of-context investigative information to the media, public, and lawmakers, which is exactly what occurred during Boeing’s media briefing."" After the briefing, NTSB had sanctioned Boeing, preventing it from accessing NTSB investigative information. LeBaron added: ""We considered removing Boeing as a party to the investigation in response to the continued failure to comply with our regulations and the party agreement."" If the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) loses its party status, it will likely result in it not being able to participate in the ongoing investigation. The NTSB also said it is ""aware"" of statements made by Boeing chief engineer Howard McKenzie made on June 18, 2024, regarding the ""Dutch roll that a Southwest Airlines 737 MAX 8 recently experienced."" McKenzie had claimed the event was ""nothing to do with design or manufacturing"". The NTSB is currently investigating the event and, thus, prohibits Boeing from making any comments analysing the situation or ""conveying investigative information."" The safety board said it had not yet ruled out design or manufacturing as being a contributing factor to the event. Boeing is due to appear at an investigative hearing into the case in Washington, DC on August 6 and 7, 2024. Boeing will not be a party to the hearing and therefore will not be allowed to ask questions of other participants.