The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded the first day of its two-day hearings in Washington, D.C., focusing on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 door panel blowout incident that occurred on January 5 over Portland, Oregon.
During the nearly 10-hour session, the NTSB presented evidence and witness testimonies indicating that workers at Boeing's Renton factory failed to properly secure a fuselage component. This oversight led to the fuselage piece detaching mid-flight, resulting in eight minor injuries among the 171 passengers and six crew members on board.
The ongoing hearings will continue to feature testimonies from key stakeholders, including Boeing representatives, Spirit AeroSystems, and officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In response to the incident, the FAA had already grounded approximately 171 Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft to address potential safety concerns and prevent similar occurrences in the future.
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Hearing held on Boeing 737 MAX 9's door panel blowout incident
cgtn.com