CNN
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Investigators probing the Boeing 737 Max blowout say their investigation is being held again by Boeing’s lack of a paper path for key work.
Regardless of interviewing staff who work at Boeing’s Renton, Washington facility that assembles the 737 Max, in addition to amassing different paperwork, the Nationwide Transportation Security Board says it has not decided who in Boeing’s manufacturing unit labored on the door plug that left the manufacturing unit with lacking bolts and later blew out on an Alaska Airways passenger flight in January. Boeing not too long ago stated it has looked for information however believes its staff didn’t doc the work.
“The absence of these information will complicate the NTSB’s investigation shifting ahead,” NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy wrote in a letter to the Senate committee that can also be probing Boeing.
The letter famous that Boeing has additionally been unable to supply safety footage of the September 2023 work, which included eradicating and reinstalling the door plug. Homendy informed the Senate Commerce Committee final week that her investigators observed Boeing “safety cameras everywhere in the facility,” however that they have been informed the footage is saved for under 30 days. Boeing informed CNN that 30-day report retention coverage for safety digicam footage is commonplace apply.
The letter revealed that the NTSB’s first request to Boeing for related staff’ names got here on January 9 — 4 days after the mid-flight incident. On February 2, the NTSB says Boeing supplied “names of people who could present perception relating to the work carried out.”
NTSB stated it requested one other checklist of names on March 2 because it ready for a sequence of interviews with Boeing staff final week.
Homendy wrote that the company isn’t trying to converse with staff for punitive functions. “Our solely intent is to determine deficiencies and suggest security enhancements so accidents like this by no means occur once more,” she wrote.
Homendy signaled that the back-and-forth with Boeing over the names of particular staff is complicating the investigation and stated the NTSB would work to guard staff who come ahead.
“I’ve develop into more and more involved that the give attention to the names of particular person front-line staff will negatively influence our investigation and discourage such Boeing staff from offering NTSB with data related to this investigation,” she wrote. “To that finish, I’ve instructed NTSB to make the most of our authority to guard the identities of the door crew and different front-line staff who come ahead with data related to the investigation.”
Boeing, in response, stated it should work with the NTSB to assist the probe.
“We are going to proceed supporting this investigation within the clear and proactive style we now have supported all regulatory inquiries into this accident,” Boeing stated, in an announcement.
The committee didn’t have an instantaneous touch upon the letter.