The US National Transportation Safety Board has set a hearing date to discuss the Flight 1282 incident from last year, where it will vote on its “probable cause”.
The event saw a door plug blew out Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 shortly after take off from Portland International Airport, which led to rapid decompression, on January 5, 2025. Seven passengers and one flight attendant received minor injuries. Flight 1282's intended route was for Ontario International Airport, but returned to its original destination after the blow out.
NTSB investigative staff and board members will meet on June 24, 2025, to discuss, determine the cause, and provide safety recommendations to “prevent similar accidents”.
Flight 1282 was almost a catalyst for Boeing's troublesome year last year. The 737 MAX family fleet was grounded following the incident and the FAA subsequently imposed a 38 per month production cap on the aircraft family. The cap has yet to be lifted. As Boeing contended with its safety and quality issues, along with the risk of its credit rating veering into junk, the company was hit with a seven-week long machinist strike in the second half of the year.
However, with the appointment of former Rockwell Collins CEO and president Kelly Ortberg in August to lead the company, Boeing is making its comeback. The company is ramping up its production output, with it expecting to increase the cap to 42 737 MAX aircraft per month this year. Ortberg said at a recent conference that there is potential for a further increase to 47 per month at the end of this year.
The growing confidence in Boeing and its new leader was reflected in Bank of America recently upgrading the company to buy in early June. In addition, Boeing was saved from junk status after S&P Ratings removing its credit watch negative status on the company at the end of April.