MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
We could learn a few new clues this week about the mystery of the Boeing 737 MAX door plug that blew off an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year. The National Transportation Safety Board starts a two-day hearing into the incident today. David Schaper has this report.
DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Late in the afternoon of January 5, shortly after the Alaska Airlines jet took off from the Portland Airport, a door plug in the middle of the passenger cabin blew out at about 16,000 feet.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: We're declaring an emergency. We need to descend down to 10,000.
SCHAPER: That's the pilot's emergency call to air traffic control, recorded by liveatc.net.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: We just depressurized, and we need to return back to Portland.
SCHAPER: The blowout left a gaping hole that depressurized the plane and sent debris flying across the cabin. No one was seriously hurt, but one passenger sitting near the hole had his shirt ripped off and sucked out of the plane. Investigators say the door plug blew out because there were no bolts holding it in place. The plug had been removed from the fuselage at the factory so that mechanics could repair damaged rivets, but when it was put back in, no one reinstalled the bolts.
ED PIERSON: It didn't surprise me at all when the Alaska accident happened. Quite honestly, we were expecting something more tragic.
SCHAPER: Ed Pierson is a former senior manager at Boeing's 737 MAX factory outside of Seattle. He reported shoddy work and lax oversight years ago and tried to get management to halt production of the MAX, even before plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Pierson notes that Boeing never carried out promised changes in quality control and safety oversight, so the same problems that led to the deadly MAX crashes remained.
PIERSON: Namely rushed production, employees that were pressured to take shortcuts, serious quality control process breakdowns, lack of documentation, issues with training, issues with supervision.
SCHAPER: Pierson says he hopes that the NTSB hearing will focus on those broader systemic issues and not just on a particular mechanic or team that made mistakes. Aviation safety specialist and author Christine Negroni agrees.
CHRISTINE NEGRONI: Where was the checklist that this particular mechanic was supposed to use? Where was the inspecting mechanic that was supposed to inspect the work when it was done? Where is the documentation?
SCHAPER: So what will Negroni be listening for?
NEGRONI: It's not the sexiest thing they're going to talk about, but it's probably the most important thing they talk about - what is the system for making sure mechanics don't make errors, and why didn't it work this time?
SCHAPER: Much of the hearing is expected to be highly detailed and technical, as board members hear from NTSB investigators, as well as officials from Boeing, its supplier Spirit AeroSystems and the FAA. For its part, Boeing is touting recent changes to safety protocols and training at the 737 MAX factory, and the NTSB could recommend more once its investigation is complete. The door plug blowout played a significant role in Boeing's huge $1.4 billion loss last quarter and led to the resignation of CEO Dave Calhoun. His replacement starts later this week.
For NPR News, I'm David Schaper. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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