NTSB hits back at Boeing for sharing confidential Flight 1282 details

Boeing's slew of mishaps and misfortunes have yet to slow to a halt since the Flight 1282 incident in January. Only a week after its current CEO Dave Calhoun faced off against an intense line of questioning from US senators, the troubled American aircraft manufacturer has been hit with sanctions by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on June 27, 2024. It said it is imposing a ""series of restrictions and sanctions"" on Boeing after it ""blatantly violated NTSB investigative regulations"" after providing confidential information from the investigation into the Alaska Airlines' 737 MAX 9 door plug blowout on January 5. On June 25, Boeing had held a media briefing, reportedly at its office in Seattle, where it discussed quality improvements for its commercial aircraft. NTSB said an executive had provided the confidential information along with ""an analysis of factual information"", both of which are prohibited by the party agreement Boeing had signed. The manufacturer had signed the agreement at the start of the NTSB investigation after the government body had offered it party status. The authority gave a sharp blow to Boeing's track record, stating, ""as a party to many NTSB investigations over the past decades, few entities know the rules better than Boeing."" Speaking to Airline Economics, a Boeing spokesperson said: ""As we continue to take responsibility and work transparently, we conducted an in-depth briefing on our safety & quality plan and shared context on the lessons we have learned from the January 5 accident. ""We deeply regret that some of our comments, intended to make clear our responsibility in the accident and explain the actions we are taking, overstepped the NTSB’s role as the source of investigative information. We apologise to the NTSB and stand ready to answer any questions as the agency continues its investigation."" NTSB requested a transcript of the briefing after learning of its existence. The document revealed Boeing's release of information that had not been verified or authorised for release by the NTSB. It had also ""offered opinions and analysis on factors it suggested were casual to the accident."" The briefing had also painted the NTSB investigation as a ""search to locate the individual responsible for the door plug work."" The NTSB underlined the fact that is ""focused on the probable cause of the accident"" rather than ensuring an individual is blamed and held liable for the door plug incident. ""Because of Boeing's recent actions,"" the safety board read in a statement, ""Boeing will retain its party status, but will no longer have access to the investigative information the NTSB produces as it develops the factual record of the accident."" Boeing may be the subject of a subpoena from the board for any relevant information regarding the investigation. In addition, it will also subpoena the company to appear at its scheduled hearing into the Flight 1282 incident on August 6 and 7 in Washington, DC. It said that Boeing will not be allowed to ask questions of other participants, unlike other parties at the hearing. In May, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) had claimed Boeing had breached its 2021 $2.5bn settlement agreement that allowed it to avoid criminal prosecution following the fatal crashes on a Lion Air flight in 2018 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in 2019 on 737 MAX aircraft that killed a total of 346 people. The NTSB said it would be providing the DOJ fraud division with details about Boeing's unauthorised release of confidential data. The DOJ has until July 7, 2024, to decide whether it will pursue charges against Boeing.