WASHINGTON. Jennifer Homendy, president of the National Transportation Safety Board (the US Government's independent investigative agency into accidents involving airplanes), said in an interview with CNN that the problem that caused the door explosion of the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 minutes after departure on January 5 it could happen again. “Of course, something like this could happen again,” Homendy said, adding, “This is why the NTSB exists, to ensure this never happens again.” His comments came a day after the release of a preliminary report into the Alaska Airlines crash investigation, which found that evidence points to the absence of the four bolts needed to hold the door in place during flight. .
Window and a piece of fuselage break off in flight: emergency landing for Alaska Airlines Boeing 737
“There's no way that plane was delivered with safety-critical bolts missing,” Homendy said, noting, “There's a problem on the assembly line.” However, despite the strong statements, Homendy said he was not afraid of getting on a 737 Max 9: «They have been inspected, I think thoroughly. I would have no problem flying a Max 9 tomorrow.”
An NTSB worker inspects the Boeing 737-9 MAX operated by Alaska Airlines Flight 1282
The work of the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Whitaker, testifying before Congress on Tuesday, stressed that the agency he heads is too dependent on aircraft manufacturers, such as Boeing, who he says are self-regulating. «The current system doesn't work because it doesn't guarantee safe aircraft. We need to make some changes,” Whitaker explained. Homendy added that the NTSB is reviewing what changes to make to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the largest agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation responsible for regulating and overseeing every aspect of civil aviation in the country. “I absolutely agree on the need to change the regulation,” she said. «There is a problem in the system. We are not only investigating what happens at Boeing, but we are also investigating the FAA's oversight of the company. Whitaker's statements reassure me.”
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker prepares to testify before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on aviation safety
The quality problems of Boeing
According to Homendy, there is a problem that goes beyond the plane involved in the Alaska Airlines crash: “That's what we're investigating right now… to identify deficiencies and make sure these crashes don't happen again.”
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Emirates' ultimatum
Two days ago, Boeing discovered another problem in some fuselages of its 737swhich could cause the delivery of approximately 50 aircraft to be delayed. The head of Emirates airline, Sir Tim Clark, had warned the company with an ultimatum and added that he had noticed a “progressive decline” in its performance (Emirates is one of Boeing's major customers).
The president of Emirates Airlines, Sir Tim Clark
(reuters)
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UGO LEO
The situation of the 737 Max in Europe
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) adopted the FAA directive, but underlined that no company from EU member states has the 737 Max 9 in its fleet. According to TeleBorsa, Boeing closed yesterday, February 6, with a modest gain of +0.94%. The start was difficult for the stock which started at 206 USD, above the lowest level of the previous day, and then progressively improved throughout the day. Boeing Co shares have already fallen 20% this year.
What happened to the 737 Max 9s after January 5th
The US aviation regulator has allowed Boeing 737 Max 9 planes to resume flying after inspections, but barred the planemaker from expanding production. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes after the Alaska Airlines crash. About 94% of the grounded planes have returned to service.
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Boeing's other Max plane disasters
In 2018, an accident similar to one that occurred last month involved an older model Boeing 737 operated by Southwest Airlines. Debris from an engine failure broke one of the cabin windows as the plane traveled at 32,000 feet. The result was that a passenger was partially sucked out of the window and died from her injuries.
The company's safety record was also tarnished by two accidents that occurred in late 2018 off the coast of Indonesia and early 2019 off the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. A total of 346 people died in the crashes, caused by faulty flight control software.
After two plane crashes here are the 737 Max, the mega parking lot of the aircraft under accusation
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