Boeing Sanctioned by NTSB for Disclosing Details in 737 Max Investigation

Boeing has apologized for breaking the deal by revealing details of an investigation into a 737 Max 9 door panel that exploded in mid-air, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.

The agency said in a statement that Boeing “flagrantly violated NTSB investigative regulations” at a news conference Tuesday by providing investigative information that had not been cleared for release and speculating about the cause of the incident nearly six months ago.

The Alaska Airlines flight lost a door panel on January 5, traveling at 16,000 feet, 10 minutes before its scheduled arrival time in Portland, Oregon. The crash plunged Boeing into crisis and raised ongoing questions about safety issues in other aircraft models, now the subject of multiple federal investigations.

The NTSB said an unidentified Boeing executive spoke Tuesday about improvements to Boeing’s commercial airplane division, including “analysis of previously released factual information.”

Boeing also mischaracterized the investigation, the statement said, by describing it as an attempt to find the person responsible for installing the door cover.

“The NTSB is focused on the probable cause of the accident, not placing blame on any individual or assessing liability,” the statement said.

According to the board, this means Boeing has broken the party agreement that he signed at the beginning of the investigation.

In a statement, a Boeing spokesperson said the company “shared the context of the lessons we learned from the Jan. 5 accident” at Tuesday’s briefing.

“We deeply regret that some of our comments, intended to make clear our responsibility in the accident and to explain the actions we are taking, overstepped the role of the NTSB as a source of investigative information,” the statement said.

“We apologize to the NTSB and stand ready to answer any questions as the agency continues its investigation.”

In a scathing rebuke, the agency said that because the company has been an active party or participant contributing evidence in many NTSB investigations, “few entities know the rules better than Boeing.”

As a result, he said, Boeing will continue to be a party to the board’s investigation, but will no longer be able to access the investigative information collected to make a complete factual record of the accident.

The NTSB requested a transcript of Tuesday’s meeting, which it said showed the company “provided nonpublic investigative information to the media that the NTSB had not verified or authorized for release.”

The board also accused Boeing of “offering opinions and analysis on factors it suggested were causal to the accident.”

The board said it would also subpoena Boeing to attend an investigative hearing on Aug. 6 and 7 in Washington, where the company’s lawyers and executives will not be able to ask questions.

The NTSB said it would coordinate with the Justice Department’s Fraud Division in providing details of this week’s alleged unauthorized disclosure of information.

The Justice Department also accuses Boeing of violating a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement that protected it from criminal charges related to fatal 737 Max crashes.

The company said it believed it had honored the terms of that agreement and that it would engage with the Department of Justice “with the utmost transparency, as we have done throughout the term of the agreement.”